DOH checks possible case of SARS-like virus

By: Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Tina G. Santos - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:30 AM January 22, 2020

The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said it was investigating whether the novel
coronavirus (2019-n-CoV) had infected a 5-year-old Chinese boy who was already sick when he
arrived in the country from Wuhan, China, more than a week ago.

The new coronavirus has caused alarm because of its genetic similarities to Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong
Kong in 2002-2003.

More than 200 cases of the 2019-n-CoV were reported in China, majority from Wuhan City, the
center of the outbreak late last year, and also in Thailand, Japan and South Korea.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said four of the confirmed 2019-n-CoV patients have
died, but Wuhan’s mayor told state television the death toll had risen to six as of Monday.

Cebu hospital

On Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a press conference that the Chinese
boy had fever, throat irritation and cough prior to his arrival in Cebu City and was taken to an
undisclosed hospital there.

Duque said the boy was still coughing but was stable and no longer feverish on Tuesday.

The boy arrived with his mother in Cebu on Jan. 12 “to learn English” here, he said.

“Samples from the patient were first tested at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine
(RITM) and yielded negative results for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-related
Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus (SARS-
CoV),” said Duque.
Throat swabs and blood specimen have been sent to Australia to identify the specific
coronavirus strain, he said. The results from the Victorian Infectious Disease Reference
Laboratory in Australia were expected within 24 to 48 hours, he added.

The same specimen were also taken from the boy’s mother for testing, said Undersecretary Eric
Domingo, the DOH spokesperson.

3 other Chinese

As additional precaution, Domingo said they were trying to locate those who were sitting “up to
four seats” away from the boy on the plane, he said.

The DOH also reported it was closely monitoring three other Chinese nationals who arrived
separately at Kalibo International Airport from China.

Duque said they had manifested flu-like symptoms but did not fit the case definition of the new
coronavirus prescribed by the WHO interim guidelines.

The first was a 29-year-old woman from Shanghai who was brought to Dr. Rafael S. Tumbukon
Memorial Hospital, the provincial hospital of Aklan, on Jan. 17 by the airport staff of the Bureau
of Quarantine.

She stayed overnight at the hospital and proceeded to Boracay the following day, according to
Dr. Cornelio Cuachon Jr., Aklan provincial health officer.

On Jan. 18, a 3-year-old girl, also from Shanghai, was brought to the hospital and was tested
before being released.

On Monday, a 65-year-old man from Chongqing City was referred to the hospital for tests,
Cuachon said.

Duque said the three had not traveled to Wuhan and had no known contact with a confirmed
novel coronavirus case, SARS or sick animals.

Throat swabs from the three patients have already been sent to RITM for testing.
Aklan surveillance

Aklan will continue the strict implementation of health surveillance and quarantine measures,
especially for tourists from China bound for Boracay, said Gov. Florencio Miraflores.

Miraflores said the measures were being implemented at Aklan airport, the main gateway for
foreign tourists visiting the popular resort island.

Dr. Ferchito Avelino, director of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau, said there were six known
strains of the coronavirus, including MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV.

The 5-year-old boy could have one of the four other strains of coronavirus, or a totally new
strain, he said.

“In simple words, the test shows that there is coronavirus, it’s not MERS-CoV, it’s not SARS-CoV.

We still do not know what it is,” said Domingo.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses ranging from the common cold to more serious
infections such as MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV.

Common signs of coronavirus infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of
breath and breathing difficulties. In severe cases, it can cause pneumonia, acute respiratory
syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

China has confirmed human-to-human transmission in the outbreak of the new virus and WHO
said it would consider declaring an international public health emergency.

The discovery of human-to-human transmission comes as hundreds of millions of people are

crisscrossing the country in packed trains, buses and planes this week to celebrate the Lunar
New Year with relatives.

Emergency meetingWHO said a key emergency committee would meet on Wednesday to

determine whether to declare an international public health emergency.
The Chinese government announced on Tuesday it was classifying the outbreak in the same
category as the SARS outbreak, meaning compulsory isolation for those diagnosed with the
disease and the potential to implement quarantine measures on travel.

In his first public comments on the outbreak on Monday, China’s President Xi Jinping said the
virus must be “resolutely contained” and stressed that information must be released “in a
timely manner.” —WITH REPORTS FROM AFP

Duterte ‘might’ attend US summit

By: Julie M. Aurelio - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:44 AM January 22, 2020

While President Rodrigo Duterte has already declined US President Donald Trump’s personal
invitation for him to visit the United States, Mr. Duterte “might be persuaded” to attend the
upcoming US summit with Southeast Asian heads of state, presidential spokesperson Salvador
Panelo said on Tuesday.

“I haven’t talked to [the President] … but given that this is an Asean (Association of Southeast
Asian Nations) meeting of leaders, the President might be persuaded to attend,” Panelo said in a
phone interview.

The Palace official made the remarks two days after Malacañang announced that Trump had
invited Mr. Duterte and other regional leaders to the US summit with members of the Asean in
March.

The invitation, initially made during the Asean summit in Bangkok, Thailand in November, was
renewed in a letter dated Jan. 9, despite a recent US Senate resolution that bans the entry to
the United States of officials involved in the detention of Sen. Leila de Lima, a staunch Duterte
critic facing alleged drug charges.

Trump’s invitation to President Duterte contradicts that resolution, Panelo said.

Horses that survived eruption may end up in slaughterhouses

By: Maricar Cinco - Reporter / @maricarcincoINQ

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:27 AM January 22, 2020

SAN PEDRO CITY, LAGUNA—After surviving the eruption of Taal Volcano, horses rescued from
the Volcano Island may end up in slaughterhouses, as butchers dangle thousands of pesos
before their disaster-stricken owners to get their hands on the animals.

Jay Tolentino, a volunteer veterinarians who takes care of rescued horses, on Tuesday asked the
Department of Agriculture (DA) and private farm owners to make a “concerted” effort to buy
the horses to save them from butchers who were taking advantage of the calamity.

Tolentino said the horse owners, most of them poor families who had lived and kept tourism
alive on Volcano Island for many years, were left with few options as they faced eviction from
the island.

“I told them (owners): ‘I understand you might want to sell the horses, especially now that
tourism is dead and you can use the money to start anew,’” Tolentino said. “But maybe the
government should make a counteroffer for the animals. I am also calling up my [private] clients
for help.”

Butchers are offering P15,000 to P30,000 per horse.

Far from half

Consuming horse meat is not a common practice among Filipinos, but there is a small market
for horse meat in Malabon, Metro Manila, Tolentino said.

He is currently looking after 55 horses rescued from Barangay Calawit, a village on Volcano
Island in Balete town. He said nine of the horses had been sold by their owners, but
veterinarians had refused to release the animals because they were still weak.
The horses, along with 80 cows and many goats, are housed in the DA’s animal shelter in Lipa
City, Batangas.

About 50 other horses were taken to a private stable in Malvar, Batangas, and another 50 to
Alfonso, Cavite. The horses were rescued by an animal welfare group from Volcano Island’s
Talisay side in Batangas.

Two other horses were taken to a shelter in Tanauan City, also in Batangas.

Tolentino said the number of horses rescued after the Jan. 12 eruption of Taal was “not even
close to half” of the horse population on Volcano Island.

Ash burn, pneumonia

Residents estimated there were 2,000 to 3,000 native horses, or Philippine pony, used to bring
tourists to the viewing deck to see the volcano.

Tolentino said two of the horses were in “critical condition,” but he refused to put them down as
they continued to show improvement over the past few days.

Many horses have scalded skin around the eyes or around the buttocks due to long exposure to
volcanic ash. They also suffer from pneumonia and other complications.

Fewer injuries have been observed on cattle and goats.

Private animal welfare groups and volunteer veterinarians have been helping government
agencies in an overwhelming situation to save animals on Volcano Island and those that
residents have left in towns within the danger zone on the mainland.

In Batangas City, the office of the city veterinarian carried out a medical mission to treat about
40 dogs, 10 cats, four birds, and two rabbits, private veterinarian Aldrin Bisa said.

Tolentino said wealthy clients had been donating medicines, such as antibiotics and feed, for the
rescued horses in Lipa, but support in other animal shelters had started to decline.
“Our [current] set up is chaotic [with the rescued animals scattered in different shelters]. It
would have been easier [to bring help and medical attention] if it’s well coordinated,” he said.

Globe encourages consumers to reduce environmental impact by using mobile services

03:02 PM January 21, 2020

Globe Telecom encourages consumers to take steps in reducing their environmental impact by
using their mobile devices to access health, financial, educational, entertainment, retail, food,
and other services to minimize travel.

Petroleum-fed vehicles are one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in many cities around
the world. Every time a person rides a bus, car, motorcycle, ship, airplane or similar modes of
transportation that do not use green energy contributes to greenhouse gas production.

“Mobile technology has given consumers the power to accomplish a lot of things literally at
their fingertips. Through mobile phones, we can pay our bills, visit the doctor, go to the bank,
buy food, go to school, shop for clothes, among other things. By going digital, we could lessen
our contribution to greenhouse gas emission and assist in healing our planet,” said Yoly
Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications.

One of the services that many Filipinos have yet to try but which can help save a lot of time,
effort, and money is telehealth. KonsultaMD, for instance, gives the public immediate access to
a team of skilled and licensed Filipino doctors anytime they need it, whenever they may be.

By calling KonsultaMD’s 24/7 hotline (02-7798 8000), anyone may seek medical information
through the phone for primary conditions (such as cough, fever, cold, flu, pink eye/sore eyes,
sinus infections, urinary tract infections, bronchitis, rashes, allergies, asthma), maternity,
pediatrics, among others; telephone triage to determine urgency of the situation; reading of,
and information on, lab and diagnostic results; health coaching and nutrition counseling; and
prescription for over-the-counter medication.
On the other hand, the public may also benefit from the ease of use of mobile money. While
digital finance was intended primarily to promote financial inclusion especially among those
who are unbanked, it has started to grow in the Philippines and is fast becoming part of the
Filipino lifestyle.

Online financial platforms like GCash allow people to send money to another GCash user, buy
load, transfer money to a bank and vice versa, pay bills, pay for goods and services, get a loan,
invest, save money and even help rebuild the Philippine forests without traveling since
everything can be done through the app.

“Mobile operators around the world are doing their best to reduce the impact of climate change
through various innovations. We at Globe continue to look for ways to reduce our own carbon
footprint while helping consumers, businesses, and industries do the same by using mobile
technologies,” Crisanto said.

Globe actively supports 10 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and
combines innovation with the power of collaboration to achieve inclusive and sustainable
development for all.

Filipino nation unites in relief campaign to help Taal volcano eruption victims

The Filipino nation continues to show unified action in simultaneous relief campaigns to provide
aid to the victims of the Taal Volcano eruption even amidst heightened alert for more volcanic
activity.

As if telling the world, “In times of disaster we do not choose whom to help. We treat each
other as families. We are brave enough to face difficulties!” – these various organizations
around the Philippines have addressed the needs of both people and animal evacuees fleeing
from their homesteads in and around the active volcano in Batangas province.

Non-government organizations partnered with state agencies to conduct rescue missions of

both people and animals, university communities gathered donations of basic living necessities
to send to affected areas, church doors opened to now-homeless people, and more concerted
efforts are snowballing among Pinoys, once again showcasing the cultural bayanihan spirit of
carrying each other’s burdens.

Churches and seminaries, from the Cavite province which has been declared in a state of
calamity, opened doors to evacuees from Batangas and set up relief centers across the province.

Cavite groups from the Couples for Christ and Youth For Peace Movement continue to conduct
relief operations in different areas of Cavite that are housing Batangas evacuees who fled the
affected areas.

Individuals have also provided help for the victims of Taal, among them Syrian vlogger Basel
Manadil of The Hungry Syrian Wanderer who brought N95 masks and other goods to the
victims, ordinary people on the streets who washed down cars and provided water, netizens on
social media who used the platform to spread awareness and call for help.