Thursday, August 19, 2021
Extended lockdown in metro to depend on fund availability
By Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza, Reporter
METRO Manila would either remain under a strict lockdown or ease into a modified enhanced community quarantine starting this weekend, according to the presidential palace, as the government tries to contain a fresh surge in coronavirus infections spurred by a more contagious Delta variant.
The decision to keep the enhanced quarantine after Aug. 20 would depend on whether there are funds to help poor Filipinos affected by the lockdown, presidential spokesman Herminio L. Roque, Jr. told an online news briefing on Thursday.
“The question is will there be state aid?” he said in Filipino.
The two-week strict lockdown in the capital region that started on Aug. 6 will expire after Friday, when President Rodrigo R. Duterte is expected to announce the lockdown levels nationwide, he said.
“We seem to be on track because cases did not spike beyond the projections,” Mr. Roque said in mixed English and Filipino. “If we continue with our planned course of action, it will always be below 20,000,” he added, referring to the daily infection tally.
“The figures are very encouraging as of today,” he added.
The Department of Health (DoH) reported 14,895 coronavirus infections on Thursday, bringing the total to 1.8 million.
The death toll rose to 30,881 after 258 more patients died, while recoveries increased by 8,248 to 1.65 million, it said in a bulletin.
There were 111,720 active cases, 95.3% of which were mild, 18% did not show symptoms, 1.3% were severe, 0.87% were moderate and 0.7% were critical.
The agency said 387 duplicates had been removed from the tally, 385 of which were recoveries. Two recoveries were reclassified as active cases, while 180 recoveries were tagged as deaths. Two laboratories failed to submit data on Aug. 17.
The Philippines was set to take delivery on Thursday of about three million doses of the vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech Ltd. from China, Mr. Roque said. The government paid for the shipment.
On Saturday, 582,500 doses of the vaccine made by AstraZeneca Plc are also expected to arrive, Mr. Roque said. About 739,200 doses of the vaccine made by Sinopharm Ltd. will arrive this week, he added.
About 29.13 million vaccine doses have been given out as of Aug. 19, 16.25 million of which were first doses.
Vivencio B. Dizon, deputy chief enforcer of the country’s pandemic plan, said the government aims to give out 15 million vaccine doses this month.
About 3.2 million vaccine doses have been given out in Metro Manila this month, he said at the same briefing. He added that 41% of the adult population in Metro Manila had been fully vaccinated as of Aug. 18.
The government targets to inoculate 50% of the region’s adult population by the end of the month, he said.
Health authorities this week said the government would prioritize the housemates of seniors and seriously ill people for vaccination.
Under the policy, one housemate would be allowed to get a coronavirus vaccine shot.
The vaccination strategy was adopted as the country struggles to inoculate its entire adult population amid a fresh spike in coronavirus infections believed to be triggered by the highly contagious Delta variant.
Experts have not yet recommended that children get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Vaccinating people as young as 19 could deprive eligible people higher in the government’s priority list, DoH said.
https://www.bworldonline.com/extended-lockdown-in-metro-to-depend-on-fund-availability/
Discover How God Works Through Pain
Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I obey your word. Psalm 119:67
When the pain from an old back injury begins to bother him, Charles Niethold turns on a radio transmitter about the size of a package of cigarettes, which sends a message to his brain. The slight signal of the radio beam causes the brain to kick out a dose of a hormone. It effectively blocks the pain and brings relief from a few hours to a period as long as several days. “It’s like someone taking a load off your back. It is just a pleasant feeling of relief,” says the salesman, who has suffered from a back injury for years.
The procedure was developed by a Japanese physician, Dr. Yoshio Hosobuchi, a brain surgeon, who perfected the procedure of planting a tiny electrode in the brain, triggered by a small receiver. Charles Niethold is convinced that it works because he was on crutches and could neither drive nor work until the surgery. Following the implant, he walked with a cane and went back to work. The electronic implant is one of a variety of scientific advancements which are now able to block the pain without suffering devastating side effects such as are encountered when drugs or narcotics are used to deaden pain. “It’s been fantastic for me…it is like someone taking a load off your back,” says Niethold.
Whenever there is the promise of relief from pain, hearts are gladdened. Relief from pain is the goal of all people who hurt. But beyond the displeasure which pain brings, there is a deeper understanding of the issue which may not take the pain away but may help you to better cope with it
Dr. Paul Brand was unquestionably one of our day’s outstanding surgeons. It was this brilliant doctor who discovered that lepers lose their limbs because they have lost the ability to sense pain. Also, it was he who pioneered resourceful techniques to restore nerves through transplants. Brand said, “Thank God for inventing pain. It is the paragon of his creative genius.”
The late professor of Medieval English and the great apologist of the faith, C. S. Lewis, called pain “the megaphone of God” in his book The Problem of Pain, and I believe Lewis is right. However, a megaphone can do one of two things‑‑it can attract or repel. Suppose you are lost and wandering in the darkness and someone is trying to find you, but you cannot hear their voice or their pleas for you to respond. Then they take a megaphone and call. You strain and ask, “Is help on the way?” and finally you are certain that it is. You heard, ever so faintly, the voice of a rescuer calling your name. Pain is often that megaphone letting us hear God’s voice; yet, at the same time, too loud a voice through a megaphone can cause you to flee and run.
Pain will never leave you where it finds you; it will either cause you to reach towards God’s help or else it will repel you and cause you to flee from Him. When people face pain, almost always their thoughts begin to turn towards God or some religious or metaphysical understanding of pain.
As Charles Haddon Spurgeon commented, “When we cannot trace God’s hand, we can always trust God’s heart.” That God through His grace can provide healing and relief from the problem of pain is evidence that He delights in providing for our human physical needs. Nevertheless, be very sure, as C. S. Lewis suggested, God can allow pain to serve as His megaphone, letting us hear His voice and assuring us of His care and concern.
Resource reading: Hebrews 12:1-3
https://www.guidelines.org/devotional/discover-how-god-works-through-pain/
Sakto | Teleradyo (19 August 2021)
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