The Philippine’s Covid-19 Update 

Emilio B.

The Current Situation

As of April 28, what is known as the ‘NCR PLUS’ is under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ). There are four lockdown/quarantine classifications for the Philippines. The most restrictive being ECQ (Enhanced Community Quarantine), the second hardest being MECQ, the third being GCQ (General Community Quarantine), and the most relaxed being MGCQ (Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine). However, recently, the Philippine Government and the Philippine Department of Health added two new terms referred to as ‘bubble’ and ‘circuit-breaker.’ In terms of how vigorous these classifications are, they fall ECQ and MECQ. NCR PLUS is on modified enhanced community quarantine, which consists of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite. Quirino, Abra, and the City of Santiago, Isabela are not part of NCR PLUS but are also under MECQ. Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Batangas, Quezon, Tacloban City, Illigan City, Davao City, Lanao Del Sur, are all under general community quarantine. The rest of the Philippines remains under MGCQ. 

Restrictions

Under MECQ, only people accessing essential goods and services, workers of permitted establishments, and other Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APORs can go out of their houses. Minors and people over 65 years old, pregnant women, and those with health risks should stay home at all times. Individual outdoor exercises like walking, jogging, running, and biking within the area of residence are allowed. As of May 1, Curfew hours in Metro Manila run from 10 pm to 4am. Only APORs remain exempted from the curfew. Public Transportation operates at a capacity mandated by the department of transportation (DOTr). Biking is still encouraged, while passengers still have to wear masks and face shields. Mass gatherings are prohibited except for wakes, inurnment, and funerals involving immediate family members of the deceased, which are limited to 10% of the venue’s capacity. Only outdoor dining at restaurants can run at 50% capacity while dining inside is still not allowed. Take-out and delivery services are encouraged. 

Cases

The current daily cases being received in the Phillippines are unprecedented for the country. Compared to the previous 2,000 - 4,000 daily new cases that were already deemed alarming, the Philippines is now experiencing daily numbers between 7,500 and 16,000. The notion is the same for the daily death count. Due to the overwhelming cases, hospitals and healthcare facilities can no longer accept COVID-19 patients and they are forced to be treated in their own houses with little to no medicine. The effects are seen in the death count, as the daily death count on April 9, 2021, hit a record-breaking 400. While the numbers are gradually decreasing, since then, as of April 28, they are still higher than previous daily death numbers.

Vaccination Program

On March 1, the Philippines received the first COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac, containing 600,000 doses. Sinovac’s vaccine is reported to be  50.4% effective. The country began the roll-out as soon as the vaccines arrived. Towards the end of the month, the Philippines received its second batch of vaccinations, which are also donated from Sinovac. This batch contained 600,000 doses. Soon after the second batch, the Phillippines received its first batch of procured vaccines, which are also from Sinovac. The batch contained 1 million doses. Several other procured batches from Sinovac arrived in the Philippines, totaling 3 million doses from Sinovac. On March 4, the Philippines received 480,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from COVAX. COVAX is an organization established by the World Health Organization to deliver vaccines to third-world countries. Soon after, COVAX delivered another 45,600 of AstraZeneca. 

Sputnik V from Russia, was set to arrive on April 25 but was postponed to April 28, due to logistical reasons. The arrival on April 28 was delayed again due to logistical problems. The Department of Health had an agreement with Pfizer to deliver doses to the Philippines as early as February but fell short due to lack of action from the Department of Health. For the month of May, there are 14 million doses expected to arrive, coming from companies such as Pfizer, Sinovac, Sputnik, AstraZeneca, and more. However, the majority are coming from Sinovac. The top COVID-19 vaccine companies, Pfizer and Moderna, do not have a bulk arrival to the Philippines until the 3rd quarter of 2021. The government is only allowing healthcare workers, senior citizens, and people with comorbidities access to vaccines. The government has a goal of herd immunity -- approximately 70 million Filipinos -- vaccinated by the end of the year. As of April 28, 2021, the Philippines has administered 1,562,815 doses, and 246,986 people have been fully vaccinated.