The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday logged 8,748 additional Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 1,037,460.
A total of 4,143 recoveries and 89 deaths were recorded through the “Oplan Recovery,” the time-based and symptom-based recovery strategies.
Of the total number of cases, 7.1 percent (73,908) are active, 91.2 percent (946,318) have recovered, and 1.66 percent (17,234) have died.
Moreover, 46 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation.
All laboratories were operational on April 28, 2021, while five others were not able to submit their data to the Covid-19 Document Repository System.
Sotto, Cayetano’s view on Ivermectin use
Two Metro Manila mayors urged the public on Friday to heed health experts’ advice on the issue of Ivermectin use against Covid-19.
In a media forum of the Department of Health (DOH) on Friday, Mayors Lino Cayetano of Taguig and Vico Sotto of Pasig said that the guidance of medical experts should be of utmost consideration on the use or prohibition of the controversial anti-parasitic drug.
“We listen to the medical experts. So, pagdating ng panahon inaprubahan yan ng [when the time comes that it will be approved by the] Department of Health by all means, we will not just support it, we will advocate it,” Cayetano said.
Cayetano reiterated the public, in the meantime, should wait for experts’ decision.
For his part, Sotto said that the public should not believe “conspiracy theories” revolving around the issue.
“Just because there is a little bit of positive news, or a little bit of possibility or may nakitang kaonting [or a little] scientific basis, hindi ‘yun sapat para sabihing ‘okay iyan, pwede na iyan [that is not enough to say that it is already okay, or that will do],” Sotto said.
Both mayors admitted that they have been receiving queries from their constituents regarding Ivermectin.
“Hindi tayo doktor. Hindi tayo medical expert. Makinig tayo sa mga doktor [We are not doctors. We are not medical experts. Let us listen to the doctors],” Sotto said in answering the queries.
Meanwhile, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire appealed to the public to “move on” from the issue on Ivermectin following the initiative of Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta and Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor who distributed the said drug through an “Ivermectin Pan-Three.”
“Let’s all move on from this issue. Kung ano ang nangyayari dito ay gagawan natin ng imbestigasyon kung kinakailangan [What ever happened here, we will conduct an investigation if needed],” Vergeire assured.
The Philippine Pharmacists Association Inc., meanwhile, issued a news statement strongly opposing the “irrational dispensing of an unregistered drug and illegal compounding thereof,” apparently referring to Ivermectin.
“Medicines are developed, manufactured, prescribed, compounded, and dispensed with based on sound, scientific and evidence-based professional judgment. Medicines prescribed by a physician, after careful evaluation of a patient should be based on scientific evidence. Not all medicines are for general use of the public,” the group said.
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