MANILA, Philippines – A business group is looking to donate one million liters of a 70 percent ethyl rubbing alcohol to hospitals, clinics and other agencies involved in the fight against COVID-19.
According to Alliance Global Group, Inc. (AGI), they are looking to dilute 850,000 liters of 96 percent ethyl alcohol to be usable disinfectants in various facilities.
“Around 850,000 liters of 96-percent ethyl alcohol will be denatured in order to convert them into sanitizing and disinfectant alcohol, which can be used by hospitals, clinics, and government agencies that are tirelessly working to curb the spread of the coronavirus all over the country,” the company said.
AGI chief executive officer Kevin Andrew Tan said that they are looking to hand over the alcohol to the Department of Health.
Recently, the country has seen a shortage in the supply of alcohol in groceries and drug stores, largely to panic buying and hoarding. This also has affected frontline workers, including police officers, health workers and other skeleton crew members.
As a result, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has limited people to purchasing just two bottles of rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizers per transaction.
“Through the Department of Health, we hope to distribute disinfectant alcohol to as many, if not, all the hospitals and clinics that are treating COVID-19 patients all over the country,” Tan explained. “We need to protect our frontliners – the doctors, nurses, and other healthcare and medical personnel – whose lives are at risk in protecting and treating people from this virus.”
“We are one with the nation in this fight to heal our country from COVID-19. We salute all the frontliners who are our real heroes during this challenging time. We join the nation in prayer and unity as we hope to rise together from this crisis as one Philippines,” he added.
READ: DTI to buyers: Purchase limit is 2 bottles of alcohol and 2 bottles of sanitizers
On Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire Luzon under an enhanced community quarantine, due to the increasing COVID-19 cases. As of Wednesday, there are 202 confirmed cases in the Philippines, 17 of which have died.
At least seven have recovered, while there are six patients who were allowed to go on a home quarantine mode.
READ: BREAKING: 15 new COVID-19 cases bring total to 202
READ: Luzon now under ‘enhanced community quarantine’ – Palace
The COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that first emerged in China’s city of Wuhan in Hubei province in late 2019.
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the novel coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2.
Coronavirus is a family of viruses, whose surfaces have a crown-like appearance. The viruses are named for the spikes on their surfaces.
Worldwide, over 193,000 COVID-19 cases have been recorded, 7,865 of which have died. On the other hand, another 81,743 patients have recovered.