Health

A month long lockdown in the Philippine capital to contain the spread of coronavirus is set to curb economic growth and make an interest-rate cut next week more likely. Growth could weaken to below 6% in the first quarter of the year, according to Nicholas Mapa, an economist at ING Bank in Manila. With more than 12 million people, the …

Singapore ceased port calls for all cruise vessels and will bar the entry and transit of visitors with recent travel history to Italy, France, Spain and Germany. New York City declared a state of emergency, bringing the financial and cultural capital of the US to a standstill. French President Emmanuel Macron called the coronavirus the epidemic of the century and …

The Public Health Ministry on Thursday insisted that the country has yet to enter Stage 3 of the coronavirus outbreak, despite the discovery of a new cluster of infections which brought the total number of cases in Thailand to 70. The permanent secretary for public health, Sukhum Kanchanaphimai, made the remark after 11 people tested positive following a night out …

The test kit for UP-developed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is ready for field trials, just as the epidemic was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on Wednesday. Advertisement Thousands of the kits will be sent for validation testing to many hospitals to decide if they are viable enough to be commercially available. In comparison to over – the-counter …

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) plans to impose compulsory measures for all inbound arrivals, including notifying personal information and contact information such as mobile phone numbers and email addresses as part of steps to control the Covid-19 outbreak. The measure will commence on Thursday and all personal information for inbound tourists will be kept in the system for 14 …

Singapore has started charging visitors for coronavirus treatment, the city-state said as it reported three new imported infections, two of which involved Indonesians. Indonesia, the world’s fourth-most populous country, reported its first virus case earlier this month and officially has just 19 infections compared to 160 in Singapore. Disease experts have questioned how many cases go undiagnosed in Indonesia. Both …

Infections climbed across Europe and Italy attempted a nationwide lockdown, but the situation in Asia showed improvements. China announced only 19 new cases, the lowest since Jan 18 according to official figures, while South Korea added 131 new infections, extending a declining trend. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the coronavirus epicentre of Wuhan for the first time since the disease …

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) is requiring travellers from Covid-19 infected countries and territories to produce medical certificates prior to boarding their flights to Thailand to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob said on Monday the CAAT has issued an official announcement, saying travellers from South Korea, China, Italy, Iran, Macau and Hong …

The number of cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Philippines grew to 24 on Monday night. President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of emergency, with the Department of Health recommending quarantine to the public in order to prevent congesting facilities. Who’s expected to endure a controlled home quarantine? —People who have a history of travel to other areas …

The Department of Health requested a supplementary budget of P3 billion from the House of Representatives to combat the spread of coronavirus disease by 2019 or COVID-19 in the country. At the hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said that P2.35 billion of the budget would be used to buy personal protective equipment — headgear, …