Big gap between Pfizer, Moderna vaccines seen for preventing COVID hospitalizations | Los Angeles Times
Mm…it is official. US FDA rejects need for a third Covid shot except for seniors, 65 years old and up and for immunocompromised Americans.
What is the current protocol on quarantine in the Philippines? Just found out a friend in Singapore had close contact with a covid+ individual and went into quarantine last September 11. He's had no symptoms. He is fully vaccinated. He will come out of quarantine tomorrow, after just 10 days. Is this the same in our country? Or is this just for Singapore?
Its scarier here. Handled by CESU - a person who tested positive will be released after 10 days (if without symptoms) without a PCR Test! - they are counted as "recovered" Why do I find it scary? some of our colleagues who tested positive and are isolating in hotels still tests positive after 14 & 28 days. some of them even get tired of isolating and decide to request for CESU extraction (this will allow them to get released after 10 more days without PCR Test) In our company, all close contacts of a person who tested positive will need to undergo a 14 day quarantine. test can be arranged anytime the employee+family wants to have it done. *** cases are crazy high in Singapore right now because of the Gov'ts testing requirements. If a person tests positive, all close contacts will be in isolation and later tested! compare this to China who don't count people who are asymptomatic. (I remember US doesn't require testing for those without symptoms) A friend sent me a stat this morning that of the 11.1K active cases in Singapore, more than 98% has no or mild symptoms. if they were in China or US, their numbers will not look so bad.
If you tested positive to Covid-19, you will still test positive even until 2-3 months from being declared as clinically recovered. However, the viral remnants which is picked up by the succeeding test despite recovery are non-infectious. That's the reason why we make sure to have our family members and employees who have tested positive and completed their quarantine to secure a clearance from our Infectious Disease doctor before going out of isolation. "Patients who have recovered from COVID-19 can continue to have detectable SARS-CoV-2 RNA in upper respiratory specimens for up to 3 months after illness onset. However, replication-competent virus has not been reliably recovered and infectiousness is unlikely." https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html My husband still yielded positive results to RT PCR Tests even after 3 months from recovery. We always present the clearance from the Infectious Disease doctor as a supporting document back then.
I highlighted the word some. Majority of our colleagues clear their antigen and PCR Test after 14 days. -> once they clear the test, flights are arranged for them to fly out immediately. Another test is done on their destination country and they test negative again. Our colleagues in Singapore were not released by the MOH (after 21 days - old quarantine requirement) until their PCR result was negative. As per our partner clinic, a patient is no longer infectious after 10 days if there are no symptoms. However, just imagine going home and meeting your family We also had 1 colleague who was testing positive after 120 days. He got tired of staying at the same hotel and requested for CESU extraction. He was released 10 days later.
NEDA came out with a report on the effects of this pandemic to the economy and its impact on present and future generations. 1. 2020: PHP4.3 trillion 2. In 10-40 years: PHP37 trillion 3. Only after 10 years will we see pre-pandemic growth in the economy
Empire Strikes Back! Solons shift pandemic supplies probe to Red Cross ‘wrong’ COVID tests | Inquirer
It has to be replaced when it becomes more difficult to breathe through, becomes dirty, damaged or excessively wet. It is for these reasons why some of us place surgical masks over them esp. in the operating room to protect the filters from spillage, splashes, etc. I believe it is not washable.
I attended the Zoom Town Hall by DOH for physicians yesterday. They are basically saying that there is not enough evidence for boosters to be given, even for seniors, HCWs and the more vulnerable population. Are they implying that US, Israel, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia are wrong in recommending boosters to the more vulnerable population? These are the very same people who supported the mandatory use of face shields despite citing only a very small study. I believe we have more evidence on the use of boosters compared to the use of face shields. Below is one example of real-world evidence on the need for boosters published in NEJM. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2114255 I wonder if our so-called experts are really basing their decisions on science.
I'm not in healthcare so take my perspective like talking head on TV. They're doing a form of triage. Vaccines are in short supply so they're trying to stretch it out as long as ethically possible with the 1 shot or 2 shot. The 3rd "booster" shot's there to cover any possible gap from what % of efficacy to 100% or more. Its like the US health dept's stipulation about wearing of masks and type of masks being worn. They do not have enough supply of N95 so they try to stretch it out. Either through non-medical masks, home made masks or no masks at all. They have to consider the psychological aspect on masks, vaccines, etc on people. As 55.4% of US population is fully vaccinated Americans want to push for a 3rd shot. From my perspective they should hold off doing a 3rd shot once at least 50% of the rest of the world is inoculated. The US is not protected so long as the rest of the world is suffering unless they decide to shut down the border from all international travel.
when pangilinan mentioned that bayanihan 1 is not yet in effect when govt made the first purchase from Pharmally PRD - "He lashed out at senators, particularly Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, for "debating technicalities" amid the pandemic." and when the ICC is concern govt would fall back on certain technicalities that the law was never in effect coz it was not published, etc. ganyan naman yan - sila pwede tayo hindi ... pharmally625 https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/23/21/duterte-bayanihan-1-exempted-emergency-purchases
IMHO and might suits most Filipino, its not a matter who is in power, how much was .... etc, but its just important we can get the basic service we need, pare-pareho lang all politicians, they have single agenda when in power, for the face shield, its not important how much was paid for it, importante lang may magamit ang mga health workers at that time of emergency, like the vaccine, its not important where and from whom its from and how much, at least we have it already. at the peak time of emergency, I remember its as high as 50 pesos a piece for the face shield, and 100 pesos a piece for a KN95 mask, we bought Indoplas surgical mask as high as 800 pesos a box during that time,
and because of that..#pharmally625 no more allowances for the medical frontliners no more money for the ayuda for the jeepney drivers no more money to pay for the libre sakay of the APORs (this is just a publicity stunt of DOTR, pero they have receivables to pay for this) no more money for the desperately needed medicines but we have millions of face shields...na pag tinangnan mo sa warehouses parang wala namang stocks or baka nga yan ung mga donations din from other countries. and there's really no more money.. i think what we have is just paper money, thats why youre' seeing agencies returning funds to the DBM coz wala talagang pera na Rep. Quimbo questions non-release of P192-B FLR funds
It matters that we got the most expensive vaccine with the least efficacy. It matters that we got overpriced PPEs which could have been sourced elsewhere. Mediocrity and the complacent attitude of Filipinos are two reasons why we have such leaders and why we are still so deep in this pandemic.
Several laws were clearly and brazenly broken in the purchase of those medical supplies. That is not something that should be ignored.
