Thread by @cnnphilippines

THREAD: Government officials hold 'Laging Handa' briefing on the coronavirus pandemic and other national issues | LIVE bit.ly/3fpNfx6

Tweets by our digital producers @gleefjalea and @bamba__g

NTF Against COVID-19 medical adviser Dr. @Teddybird on possible ECQ extension: Ang ECQ, kapag pinahaba, mababawasan talaga yung paghawa ng mga kababayan sa sakit na ito, pero dapat kasabay ng other health measures

Dr. Herbosa: Kung ako ang tatanungin syempre magandan tuloy-tuloy baka more than one week pa nga hanggang bumaba ang reproduction number

Dr. Herbosa: Puno ang mga ospital, kapag nag-open up tayo siguro baka dumami pa ang kaso, hindi maka-adapt ang hospitals and other quarantine facilities

Will Duterte likely listen to the plea of medical workers to prolong ECQ?

Dr. Herbosa: Ang ECQ natin iba sa ECQ na may total lockdown last year. Medyo lighter ito, ito na yung balancing act. I hope maging creative ang IATF to extend this measure at hindi mapadami ang kaso.

Dr. Herbosa: I am hoping maging creative ang IATF to find solutions to extend this at hindi mahayaang dumami ang kaso

How long should the extended ECQ be?

Dr. Herbosa: As long as may pasyenteng naghihingalo, hindi makapasok sa ospital, we need to step back and provide options to reduce transmission, increase capacity of hospitals

Are PH hospitals nearing collapse amid COVID surge?

Dr. Herbosa: Hindi naman dahil gumagana pa ang mga ospital. Kapag functional collapse hindi nagagamot ang mga tao, namamatay na ang mga tao. We are still under a surge capacity. Overcapacity ang health system.

Dr. Herbosa: Pami-pamilya ang pumupunta sa ER, buong household. Mukhang nagkakahawaan talaga so we need to be more careful.

Dr. Herbosa defends govt's contact tracing efforts: Marami pong public measures na ginagawa, hindi lang ang paghanap ng mga kaso

Dr. Herbosa on ECQ measures: During lockdown, you lessen mobility so the virus can't move from one person to another... Kapag nag-ECQ ka kailangan mahanap ang positive para mahinto ang transmission.

Dr. Herbosa: Sa detection, ang pagtest, gagamit ng antigen testing at makakatulong ito sa outbreak sa NCR Plus para mahanap ang mga kaso

Dr. Herbosa on One Hospital Command: The needs far outweigh the resources currently available. We are still asking patience from people.

Treatment czar Leopoldo Vega earlier told CNN Philippines that the hospital command hotline is already 'burdened' with numerous calls with NCR hospitals nearing full capacity bit.ly/2QTR5Ez

Dr. Herbosa: This is about efficiency and making sure na walang unnecessary deaths na nangyayari

Dr Herbosa: Hangga't hindi pa nagsasara ang ospital, may laban pa rin tayo

Treatment czar Vega on rising healthcare utilization rate: Mataas ang paggamit ng Level 3 ICUs in cities of Makati, QC, Taguig, Navotas. Ang paggamit nito ay nasa high critical risk situation.

Treatment czar Vega: Ang present situation natin ngayon napaka worrying and very alarming kasi this is already twice as much as we had last year

Treatment czar Vega: Our challenge to Level 2 or Level 3 hospitals is to accommodate as much COVID patients and transform ordinary wards to an ICU room where they can accommodate moderate and severe cases

Treatment czar Vega: We have augmented 9,000 emergency-hired healthcare workers. Nakabigay na kami ng 3,011 sa iba't ibang government facilities in Metro Manila

Treatment czar Vega on 'overwhelmed' One Hospital Command: Ang pagset up po natin nito noon, madaming donated items coming from the private sector, at even yung lines namin sa PLDT. Hindi namin kinaya ang number of calls sa surge, twice as much as the calls we had last year.

Treatment czar Vega on One Hospital Command: From 110 calls per day, ngayon umaabot ng average of 388 calls per day

Treatment czar Vega advises patients who need to go as far as Central Luzon or Calabarzon to get admitted: Mas mabuti kung may referral para magkaroon ng coordinated care at referral. Ginagawa namin iyan sa ibang mga pasyente

Treatment czar Vega on vaccine drive: Ang concentration po ay nandito sa Metro Manila. Ang A1, A2, A3 sunud-sunod na iyan. Ang number of vaccinated ay umaabot na sa 600,000+

Treatment czar Vega on adverse effects after immunization: Mga mild cases lang po. Wala naman pong severe o ang naging cause ng death ay ang pagbakuna

Treatment czar Vega: Nasa 72% na ang healthcare workers na nabakunahan. At nasa last mile na sila ng bakunahan

Treatment czar Vega says they have yet to include the status of emergency rooms, as figures don't reflect yet in current government records in terms of healthcare utilization rate

Treatment czar: Hindi na kailangan ng PhilHealth PIN sa vaccine pre-registration. Dapat magregister lang sila at kahit wala, pwede na silang magpabakuna

Treatment czar Vega: Hindi naman failed, we are just coping with the challenges. Ang alam naman natin ang mga hospitals nakaka-respond at naga-adjust

Is a 1-week ECQ enough to respond to COVID cases?

Treatment czar Vega: Personally to make sure that hospitals are getting enough resources, yung one week parang test period lang ng coming week kung pwedeng makuha yung tamang expectation sa hospitals that they could allocate more

Treatment czar Vega: Pero kung tataas ang cases, we need more heightened restrictions

PhilHealth chief Dante Gierran clarifies that the PhilHealth ID is not required for COVID-19 vaccination. He says this is just one of the government IDs that can be presented to authorities.

cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/3/30…

PhilHealth chief Gierran says some PhilHealth officers will be present in the inoculation sites to assist vaccinees, including senior citizens

PhilHealth chief Gierran on vaccine pre-registration: Other IDs such as driver's license, PRC license, UMID, passport, birth certificate may still be presented

PhilHealth chief Gierran on delayed payment of claims: ₱107 billion ang claims ng mga ospital sa amin. We paid 85%, yung iba hindi nabayaran dahil may mga returned or denied claims, may iba pino-process pa

PhilHealth chief Gierran: Talagang may mga utang kami sa hospitals. Lagi kaming naguusap. Iyong iba matagal na, nadatnan na natin bit.ly/2QTTW0f

Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission Chair Greco Belgica to corrupt officials: If you get into corruption this time, pasensyahan po tayo.

PACC chair Belgica says they have identified the DPWH, BIR, BOC as the most problematic government agencies

PACC chair Belgica says all public officials are encouraged to sign a manifesto against corruption. This will be part of their 'Tokhang Laban sa Corruption' to end irregularities within the government

PACC chair Belgica: PACC is also drafting legislative proposals and recommendations to the OP to strengthen itong laban sa korupsyon