Thread by @cnnphilippines

THREAD: Government officials hold 'Laging Handa' briefing on the coronavirus pandemic | LIVE bit.ly/39fFs06

Tweets by our digital producers @daninakpil and @lisbetesmael

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia on the flooding experienced by the city during the weekend: Bacolod was not that hard-hit. It was in Talisay, Silay. Bacolod had some floods, but it was not that problematic

Mayor Leonardia says that Bacolod City has allocated ₱300 million for vaccines for its residents: The League of Cities of the Philippines created a committee of vaccine availment as early as December

Bacolod mayor says the LGU's deal with Astazeneca is not exclusive, noting they are also eyeing to talk to eight other pharmaceutical firms

Bacolod mayor says they are expecting the vaccines to be delivered on the third quarter of the year

Bacolod mayor on the LGU's ₱300 million COVID-19 vaccine budget: We have savings. We're ready with that money

Bacolod mayor: As of the moment, the dream is to vaccinate everybody... We're supposed to target a little bit less than 400,000. About 80% is already good for herd community

Mayor Leonardia shows Bacolod City's COVID-19 figures as of Sunday, Jan. 10:

Presidential adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion on the accuracy of pooled RT-PCR testing: It's very accurate. It's as accurate as taking an individual testing. That's why the DOH finally approved it

Concepcion on pooled testing: Pools of five ang pwedeng gamitin. Ang kagandanhan no'n, ang cost sa pag-test, bababa

RELATED: The Department of Health has approved the use of pooled tests to detect COVID-19 in groups of people deemed at low risk of infection, testing czar Vince Dizon says bit.ly/35btN1c

Concepcion: Kailangan ma-train yung mga laboratory technicians sa paggawa ng pooled RT-PCR testing... Aakyat ang kapasidad in testing

Concepcion: We are now asking to use saliva instead of nasal swabbing. The testing would even be cheaper dahil mawawala ang mga swabbers

Concepcion: Aabot yung total doses sa private sector ng 6 million. Dadating ito bandang May, June this year. Ang ido-donate namin pupunta sa DOH. Kalahati nito, pupunta sa empleyado namin na probationary, permanent, and contractual

Concepcion says the total number of COVID-19 vaccination doses from British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca will be 6 million, good for 3 million people—1.5 million for the government, 1.5 million for the private sector