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dpa
Manila
The Philippines on Tuesday added China and four other countries to a list of nations subject to entry restrictions due to the new, more virulent strain of the coronavirus first discovered in Britain.
The temporary ban on the entry of foreigners from a total of 32 countries was first imposed last month and is in effect until Friday.
There were no immediate information on whether the restrictions will be extended.
Aside from China, the new entries into the list were Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxembourg and Oman.
On Tuesday, the Department of Health reported 1,524 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s total Covid-19 caseload to 491,258. The death toll was up by 139 to 9,554, the department added.
The Philippine government is eyeing rolling out its Covid-19 vaccination programme by next month, with 25 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine. The first 50,000 shots will be delivered in February, according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles.
Medical workers in the capital region of Metro Manila will be the first to receive the shots, he said. They will be followed by elderly residents in the capital and other areas.
Amid public concern over the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire assured Filipinos that all shots to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration will be safe and effective.
“Any kind of vaccine that will come into the country, once they are given emergency use authorization ..., they should be on [an] equal footing,” she said. “They are all considered safe and effective for the individual.”
Manila
The Philippines on Tuesday added China and four other countries to a list of nations subject to entry restrictions due to the new, more virulent strain of the coronavirus first discovered in Britain.
The temporary ban on the entry of foreigners from a total of 32 countries was first imposed last month and is in effect until Friday.
There were no immediate information on whether the restrictions will be extended.
Aside from China, the new entries into the list were Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxembourg and Oman.
On Tuesday, the Department of Health reported 1,524 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s total Covid-19 caseload to 491,258. The death toll was up by 139 to 9,554, the department added.
The Philippine government is eyeing rolling out its Covid-19 vaccination programme by next month, with 25 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine. The first 50,000 shots will be delivered in February, according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles.
Medical workers in the capital region of Metro Manila will be the first to receive the shots, he said. They will be followed by elderly residents in the capital and other areas.
Amid public concern over the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire assured Filipinos that all shots to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration will be safe and effective.
“Any kind of vaccine that will come into the country, once they are given emergency use authorization ..., they should be on [an] equal footing,” she said. “They are all considered safe and effective for the individual.”
