Isko to Manileños: Continue following health protocols, prevent COVID case spike 

(FILE PHOTO) Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso speaks to some 100 farmers in a town hall meeting in Tarlac City. Photo courtesy of Isko Moreno Campaign Team

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso asked Manila City residents to continue practicing physical distancing and follow all health and safety guidelines to prevent a spike of COVID-19 cases in the city. 

Moreno made the call after a granular lockdown was enforced in three Manila barangays where a slight increase of COVID-19 cases were monitored over the weekend. 

“Ang lockdown naman po, katulad ng polisiya ng IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force), kapag medyo nagkakaroon ng konting kapabayaan at lumalago ‘yung Covid infection sa isang lugar eh normal po na i-lockdown ‘yung isang area. So, we would continue to have those kinds of surgical lockdown kasi ang gusto natin, makapagbukas ang negosyo, makapagtrabaho ang tao, makapag-hanapbuhay, unti-unti tayong mag-normalize,” Moreno said over DZRH. 

The Department of Health previously said the National Capital Region and most regions in the country will remain under Alert Level 2 status from December 16 to 31 amid declining COVID-19 cases. 

“Pero kailangang maging responsable rin tayo. Kailangan magsuot pa rin tayo ng face mask. The mask is a must. ‘Yun lang kailangan natin. Tapos magpabakuna tayo,” Moreno said. 

As of 12 noon of December 26, the City of Manila has a total of 91active cases with 90,501 recoveries and 1,763 deaths. The Manila Health Department said they recorded 11 new active cases, five new recoveries and zero deaths for that day.

The three areas with the highest number of active Covid-19 cases are Tondo 1 with 29, San Andres with 12 and Pandacan and Sampaloc with seven each. 

On Friday, December 24, the number of active cases in the city was at 78 with 10 new active cases, 181 recoveries and four deaths. 

“But then again, as far as the general atmosphere ng Maynila, salamat sa Diyos, as of December 26 at 12pm, 91 po ang ating active cases sa ating lungsod.  At salamat sa Diyos eh wala pong naitala kahapon as of 12 o’clock na namatay.  At halos wala pong laman ‘yung ating Covid beds in our hospitals at quarantine facilities, at saka ‘yung ating field hospital eh wala pa halos sampu ‘yung nandodoon out of 344 bed capacity,” Moreno pointed out. 

Moreno said he was happy to learn that the Food and Drug Administration has granted last week the emergency use authorization (EUA) of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11. 

As what President Rodrigo Duterte stated in his Talk to the Nation address, Moreno also said that the City of Manila will continue to assist provinces lagging behind in their vaccination drive so that residents in those areas who remain unvaccinated may now take the jab and protect themselves from Covid-19. 

“Ang city of Manila ay nag-gagayak na ulit. At kung saka-sakali na dumating na ‘yung bakuna, Enero makapag-umpisa na tayo sa 5 to 11 yrs old. But for now, we are vaccinating at a very good rate 11-17-years-old and ‘yung ating general population naman, 148% at first dose and 137% naman sa ating second dose,” the 47-year-old Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer said. 

“And we continue to share in our own little way, magbakuna sa probinsya. Katulad ng panawagan ng pangulo na bakunahan at tumulong yung mga syudad na katulad ng Maynila na marami nang nabakunahan, na bakunahan ‘yung ibang mga probinsya,” Moreno said. 

Moreno previously embarked on a massive vaccination drive that is open even to non-residents of the city, even giving COVID drugs like mulnopiravir, remdesivir and tocilizumab for free to whoever needs the life-saving drugs.

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