New COVID-19 cases highest since Oct. 19 – DOH

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 2,442 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Sunday, the highest since Oct. 19 while 54 deaths were also recorded, the most number of fatalities since Oct. 28, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

With the addition of the new cases, the number of people who had so far tested positive for the new coronavirus was now 396,395. Of the total, however, 361,638 people had recovered, leaving 27,218 active cases. This was slightly higher than the 27,115 reported after the last mass recovery on Nov. 1.

Fifteen people died of COVID-19 between August to September but their deaths were reported only on Sunday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 7,539 since the start of the outbreak in January.

In its latest time-based mass recovery reporting, the DOH declared that 11,430 patients with mild or no symptoms had gotten better after 14 days in isolation.

On the other hand, five cases previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as fatalities.

Of the 27,218 active cases, the DOH said 82 percent had mild symptoms, 9.6 percent were without symptoms, 5.4 percent were in critical condition while 3.1 percent reported severe symptoms.

Rizal province had the highest number of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases with 138, followed by the City of Manila (131), Benguet (130), Batangas (113) and Bulacan (112).

Funding for vaccines

Meanwhile, Senate leaders are looking at an additional P10 billion in standby funding to augment the P8 billion earmarked by the House of Representatives for the purchase of yet-to-be developed COVID-19 vaccines in 2021.

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, chair of the Senate finance panel, said the amount would be set aside, not with the rest of the budgetary item for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines, but with unprogrammed funds that would depend on the availability of excess tax revenues or foreign grants.

“The vaccine fund, I think, was given a P5-billion increase in the GAB (general appropriations bill) and we also have a standby appropriation of maybe P10 billion. And once a vaccine becomes widely available, we can shift the budgetary item,” he said in a radio interview on Sunday.

But in a separate statement, Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon wondered if the P10 billion would be enough, considering the “huge logistical and human resource requirements” of a mass inoculation program.

“The DOH said that we are short of P10 billion but I believe it is way beyond that,” he said.

The country’s budget managers originally proposed only P2.5 billion in funding for the COVID-19 vaccination program but the House added P5.5 billion as an amendment before submitting the GAB to the Senate for its concurrence, bringing the total to P8 billion.

“That is why we will be pushing for more budget for the procurement and administration of potential coronavirus vaccines,” Drilon added without specifying the amount.

“Congress has to appropriate money to buy the vaccine and the best time to do it is now while we are deliberating on the spending outlay,” he said.

Drilon reiterated his serious concerns over the government’s “lack of a coronavirus vaccine distribution plan to ensure immediate access to, and efficient and equitable transportation, storage and distribution of eventual COVID-19 vaccines.”