MANILA: he number of the Covid-19 (coronavirus) cases in the Philippines' has passed the 12,000 mark, and more than 800 people have now died, the Health Ministry said on Friday (May 15).
In a bulletin, the ministry reported 16 more coronavirus deaths, bringing the total to 806.
It recorded 215 additional infections, increasing the total tally to 12,091. But 123 more patients have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,460.
The Department of Health (DOH) said in a bulletin that, 144 cases or 67% of the daily cases were reported in Metro Manila, 69 cases or 32% were reported from other parts of the country, while two cases or 1 per cent in the Central Visayas region in the central Philippines.
The coronavirus pandemic is also complicating Philippine efforts to move hundreds of thousands of people into evacuation centres where social distancing is hard to enforce as a strong typhoon pummeled through its eastern provinces.
Typhoon Vongfong, the first to hit the country this year, intensified after slamming into the eastern philippines on Thursday afternoon, packing winds of 155 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 255 kph (158 miles per hour), the state weather bureau said in a bulletin.
Provincial and city governments, many of which are already strapped for resources due to the outbreak, are grappling with logistical and space issues, with an estimated 200,000 people needed to be moved from their homes in coastal and mountainous areas because of fears of flooding and landslides.
"This is really a nightmare for us here," Ben Evardone, governor of the Eastern Samar province, told CNN philippines. "Our problem right now is where to squeeze our people, while making sure they practice social distancing".
With an average of 20 typhoons every year hitting the philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, the challenges faced by stretched-thin local governments offer a grim preview of disaster response in the time of Covid-19.
The typhoon was forecast to move northwestward and hit Luzon, the country's largest island that includes the capital Manila, which remains on lockdown.
Images shared on social media showed the powerful typhoon bringing intense rain and violent winds in areas along its path, toppling trees, knocking out power and destroying homes.
In the town of Buhi in the province of Camarines Sur, hundreds of evacuees were given face masks before they were allowed in the evacuation centres.
Mark Anthony Nazarrea, a public information officer at Buhi, said the local government turned two more schools into temporary shelters to enable better social distancing.
There were no reported cases of the new coronavirus in Buhi, Nazarrea said, but "we want to minimise the risk".
Classrooms that used to accommodate eight families during disasters are now housing only one to two families, he said. - Reuters
In a bulletin, the ministry reported 16 more coronavirus deaths, bringing the total to 806.
It recorded 215 additional infections, increasing the total tally to 12,091. But 123 more patients have recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,460.
The Department of Health (DOH) said in a bulletin that, 144 cases or 67% of the daily cases were reported in Metro Manila, 69 cases or 32% were reported from other parts of the country, while two cases or 1 per cent in the Central Visayas region in the central Philippines.
The coronavirus pandemic is also complicating Philippine efforts to move hundreds of thousands of people into evacuation centres where social distancing is hard to enforce as a strong typhoon pummeled through its eastern provinces.
Typhoon Vongfong, the first to hit the country this year, intensified after slamming into the eastern philippines on Thursday afternoon, packing winds of 155 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 255 kph (158 miles per hour), the state weather bureau said in a bulletin.
Provincial and city governments, many of which are already strapped for resources due to the outbreak, are grappling with logistical and space issues, with an estimated 200,000 people needed to be moved from their homes in coastal and mountainous areas because of fears of flooding and landslides.
"This is really a nightmare for us here," Ben Evardone, governor of the Eastern Samar province, told CNN philippines. "Our problem right now is where to squeeze our people, while making sure they practice social distancing".
With an average of 20 typhoons every year hitting the philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, the challenges faced by stretched-thin local governments offer a grim preview of disaster response in the time of Covid-19.
The typhoon was forecast to move northwestward and hit Luzon, the country's largest island that includes the capital Manila, which remains on lockdown.
Images shared on social media showed the powerful typhoon bringing intense rain and violent winds in areas along its path, toppling trees, knocking out power and destroying homes.
In the town of Buhi in the province of Camarines Sur, hundreds of evacuees were given face masks before they were allowed in the evacuation centres.
Mark Anthony Nazarrea, a public information officer at Buhi, said the local government turned two more schools into temporary shelters to enable better social distancing.
There were no reported cases of the new coronavirus in Buhi, Nazarrea said, but "we want to minimise the risk".
Classrooms that used to accommodate eight families during disasters are now housing only one to two families, he said. - Reuters
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