Responsive Ad Slot

Latest

Sponsored

Features

Buhay Pinay

People

Sports

Philippine News

Join us at Facebook!

Karaoke bars closed from 6pm tonight as more Covid-19 cases reported

Posted on 01 April 2020 No comments
By The SUN

Karaokes will close for 2 weeks after 8 infections were linked to one bar in TST, which has since shut down

All karaoke lounges were ordered closed for 14 days starting at 6pm tonight, Apr 1, after three more people with links to a rash of infections traced to a karaoke in Tsim Sha Tsui tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number in the cluster to eight.

According to the Centre for Health Protection, two of the new cases were with the five infected people who visited REDMR karaoke on Carnarvon Road on Mar. 24. The third is a relative of one of the women in the group.

The decision to shut down karaoke bars, mahjong parlours and clubhouses was made after a special meeting this afternoon between Chief Executive Carrie Lam and her advisory body, the Executive Council.
The business establishments were not originally included in the list of public gathering places ordered closed on Saturday, Mar 28, as part of social distancing measures to stop a recent surge in the number of new infections.

Earlier, three other establishments - club houses, beauty centers and massage parlours - were reportedly included in the ban, but they were later told they can continue operating as long as their customers wear face masks and their temperatures taken before being allowed in.

The CHP said a total of 51 new cases of Covid-19 were reported as of 4 pm today, bringing the city’s tally to 765.

Among the new cases is a 40-day-old baby boy, who was in contact with an infected person on Mar 30, “who might have held him.”

Another Filipina domestic worker is infected in her employer's house
They also include a 25-year-old Filipina domestic helper who works for a family in Elm Tree Towers in Jardine’s Lookout whose four members, including an 11-year-old girl, had tested positive earlier. The helper developed fever on Mar 30 while under quarantine.

The infection was traced to the employer’s 14-year-old son who recently returned from his studies in the United Kingdom.

According to the Philippine Consulate, three more Filipinos have tested positive for Covid-19 since Mar 27. A total of 19 Filipinos are now being treated for the disease in various hospitals in Hong Kong. Four others were discharged earlier after testing positive.

The total number could be higher, however, as the musicians who played in four bars from where around 70 cases have been traced, are mostly Filipinos.

Another case linked to one of the bars identified earlier, All Night Long, was reported.
One infected patient visited two bars in Lan Kwai Fong, but they were different from the four others that have been shut down after being linked to a cluster of cases.

A big chunk, or 34, of the new cases, had a recent travel history, and 13 are returning students.
Two others are a Cathay flight attendant and a pilot. The flight attendant had just returned from London aboard CX 252, when she fell ill. The pilot had flown to London and Vancouver before falling ill on Mar 29.

Those with no travel history also include: 

- an immigration officer who worked in the office. He met up with a friend who had recently returned to HK and had runny nose; 


CALL US!

- A taxi driver who did not pick up passengers from a call center or the airport;

-         -  A woman who provided “beauty treatment” to an infected client; 

           -  A chauffeur who lives in the same building in Wanchai as an infected person

-          - A man who frequently visited a gym; 
       
     Health officials say 624 infected patients are currently confined in various hospitals. Seven are critical, while five are in serious condition.

Four confirmed cases are waiting to be admitted to hospitals, while officials rush to open 400 second-tier isolation beds where the less serious or recovering patients will be transferred.
CALL US!
BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

Karaoke bar source of 5 new Covid-19 cases

Posted on No comments
By The SUN
REDMR branch in TST has been shut after the 5 infections were reported today

First came the pubs. Now a karaoke bar in Tsim Sha Tsui has been identified as the source of a new cluster case of five Covid-19 patients.
The Centre for Health Protection identified the establishment as REDMR Karaoke on Carnarvon Road in Tsim Sha Tsui during its briefing today, Mar 31.
According to CHP’s Dr Chuang Shuk-wan, the five patients, 4 women and 1 man, visited the karaoke lounge on Mar 24. The first patient developed symptoms right after they gathered in room 704 of the bar. The rest started getting sick on Mar 27 and Mar 28. The man tested positive on Mar 30, the 4 women, a day later.


CALL NOW!

Two other people who were with them have been sent to a quarantine centre for monitoring.
It is still not known if any of the karaoke’s staff has been infected.
The karaoke bar was reportedly disinfected on Mar 26, after the first case was reported. But on hearing that other cases had been detected from the lounge, management reportedly closed down the TST branch today.


Press here to get the App
Karaokes are exempted from the temporary closure of business establishments that attract large gatherings, such as gyms, party venues, amusement centres and spas, which the government ordered effective Mar 26.
However, they are required to conform to social distancing guidelines imposed on restaurants, like accepting only half their regular capacity, allowing a maximum of four people to sit at one table, which should be at least 1.5 meters apart.


Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love.

Chuang did not respond to an inquiry on whether karaokes ought to be closed as a result of the newly recorded infections, which brought Hong Kong’s total tally of cases to 715.
But she again advised the public to refrain from going out, and gathering in restaurants, bars and karaokes during the next two weeks, seen as critical in stopping the recent surge in cases.
 
Most of the new cases again involve residents who have  recently returned to HK  from overseas
Of the 32 new Covid-19 cases, 24 had traveled abroad during the incubation period, and 13 are overseas students. One of the returning residents is pregnant.
Also among the new cases is a wheelchair-bound 57-year-old man who tested positive at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, and is said to be in critical condition. He was looked after by a domestic helper, who has been put under quarantine.


CALL US!
One staff of the Dusk till Dawn pub was also among the new cases, bringing the total number from the so-called bar cluster to 69. The cases include staff, musicians, patrons and close family members of those who worked in four bars in Central, Wanchai and Tsim Sha Tsui.
As most quarantine centers are near capacity, the government is looking at allowing those under medical observation for 10 days to go home and continue the remaining 4 days of their isolation at home. But health officials say there will be exceptions to the rule, like if the person under quarantine is living with an elderly person at home.
Chief  Executive Carrie Lam has also said during a separate press briefing that recovering patients may be sent to quarantine facilities, saying it is “unsatisfactory” that patients are made to wait at home after being confirmed as Covid-19 patients.
“We do not rule out that the authority may transfer recovering patients to other sorts of quarantine centres, with one possibility being the current quarantine centres under the Centre for Health Protection,” Lam said.


According to the Hospital Authority, 12 confirmed infected people were still waiting for admission as of 3pm.

Work is now underway to open 400 beds in hospital wards to serve as second-tier isolation rooms where the less sick or recovering patients will be moved, to free up space for the new patients.

Call now!
CALL US!
BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

Alleged $1M jewelry theft case against Filipina maid postponed anew

Posted on No comments
By Vir B. Lumicao
 
Nones appeared in Eastern magistracy, but her case is expected to be moved to a higher court 

A Filipina domestic helper charged with stealing at least $1 million worth of jewelry from her employer in Deepwater Bay, will appear in court again on May 19 after the case against her was adjourned anew for legal advice.

Carmelita Nones, 45, appeared in Eastern Court on Mar 31, for the continuation of the hearing of the biggest theft case ever filed against a foreign domestic helper in Hong Kong.

Prosecutors had earlier said they would finalize the case against the defendant during the hearing so it could be transferred to a higher court.


CALL NOW!

However, they again asked for an adjournment, saying they needed more time to get legal advice.

Defense counsel Mohammed Shah did not oppose the application, but asked the prosecution to make sure there would be no further postponement.

“I thought this would be the last adjournment,” Shah said, as he reminded the court that at the previous hearing on Jan 24, the prosecution had also asked for further time to finalize its case.
“This should be the last adjournment for final legal advice so we can go to trial,” he said.

Magistrate Stephanie Tsui granted the adjournment and ordered Nones remanded in custody.

The Filipina faces five counts of theft, all involving various jewelry items worth more than $1million which she alleged stole from his employers, business executive David Liang and his wife.
She was arrested on Sept 4 in the Liangs’ luxury flat at 70 Deepwater Bay Road in Hong Kong Island South, and was initially charged with stealing two gold Piaget watches worth a total of $200,000.

On Nov. 29,  she pleaded guilty to the stealing the watches, but a private lawyer for the Liangs asked the court to defer sentencing as more pawnshop receipts were reportedly found among Nones’ belongings and more charges could be filed.
The court was told investigators found five more stolen jewelry pieces in the pawnshop where Nones had allegedly hocked the watches. Four other stolen jewelry items were also reportedly found in her handbag.

Her guilty plea was not accepted while the case was deferred for further inquiries.

Nones has been held without bail since her arrest.


Trump now says US coronavirus deaths could reach 100,000

Posted on 31 March 2020 No comments

By The SUN

Trump's turnaround came after the virus cases in the US kept mounting 

Deaths in the United States from coronavirus could reach 100,000 or more, according to President Donald Trump, as he extended the nationwide social distancing guidelines for another month to Apr 30.

If the number stays at or below 100,000, “we all together have done a very good job," Trump said during an evening news conference at the White House on Mar 29.

The US has overtaken China with its confirmed cases passing 143,055, and the death toll exceeding 2,500. Italy trails the US with 97,689 confirmed cases but has the highest death toll in the world at 10,779.

In comparison, China, where the novel coronavirus disease was first detected, has 81,997 confirmed cases, with 3,304 deaths.

Trump was asked about comments made by the US top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci earlier Sunday on CNN's “State of the Union” that, based on models, more than 100,000 Americans could die from the virus.

Trump said he received what he called the “most accurate” or “most comprehensive” study today about the potential death toll from Covid-19. He said there could be more than 2 million cases if “we did nothing.” He did not elaborate.

Fauci told CNN earlier Sunday the US could see millions of coronavirus cases in the US.

“When I heard the number today, first time I heard that number, because I have been asking the same question to some people. I felt even better about what we did last week with the $2.2 trillion,” Trump said, referring to the historic stimulus package passed by Congress last week.

“Because you are talking about a potential of up to 2.2 million and some people said it could even be higher than that. You are talking about 2.2 million deaths. 2.2 million people from this,” Trump said.

Trump announced Sunday the nationwide social distancing guidelines will stay in force until Apr 30. He said he expects the “peak” of the pandemic in two weeks and the US to be well on its way to recovery by Jun 1.

Fauci called the expanded guidelines “prudent.” 
 
A US health worker in full protective gear (USA Today photo)

New York remains the epicenter of the US crisis, accounting for nearly 60,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and around 960 deaths. The pandemic is expanding fast in neighboring New Jersey, where so far more than 13,000 cases have been reported, with 161 deaths.

More than 20 of the 50 American states have recorded over 1,000 coronavirus cases.

Italy’s death toll passed the grim milestone on Saturday with an increase of 889 since the last figures were released on Friday, according to Italy's Civil Protection Agency.

Dr Massimo Galli, head of the infectious disease unit at Sacco Hospital in Milan, said Italy’s number of confirmed cases is “not representative of the entire infected population.” The real figure is “much, much more.”

In the northern Lombardy region, which has the most cases, about 5,000 swabs are being carried out daily, said Galli. He added this was “much lower than needed, with thousands of people waiting for diagnosis at their home.”

Spain saw its Covid-19 cases surge to 85,195 on Sunday with the death toll at 7,340.

United Nations Development Programme administrator Achim Steiner said the pandemic threatens to disproportionately hit developing countries, not only as a short-term health crisis but as a devastating social and economic crisis in months and years to come.

Income losses would exceed $220 billion in developing countries, and nearly half of all jobs in Africa could be lost. With an estimated 55% of the global population having no access to social protection, these losses will reverberate across societies, impacting education, human rights and in the most severe cases, basic food security and nutrition.

“This pandemic is a health crisis. But not just a health crisis. For vast swathes of the globe, the pandemic will leave deep, deep scars,” noted Steiner.

“Without support from the international community, we risk a massive reversal of gains made over the last two decades, and an entire generation lost, if not in lives then in rights, opportunities and dignity.”

As of this writing, there were 730,665 confirmed cases around the globe with the total death toll at 34,769 and the number of patients who recovered at 151,231. With CNN



Filipina maid faces drug trafficking over 2kg of ‘ice’ in parcel

Posted on No comments
By Vir B. Lumicao 

The 2 kg of drugs sent to Salazar was found in these food cans 
A Filipina domestic helper accused of trafficking in 2 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in an air parcel in January appeared in Eastern Court on Mar 31 minus her African co-defendant.

An amended charge was not read to Mary Ann Salazar, 27, because her co-defendant, Obinna Emmanuel Abba, 32, failed to show up.
But the prosecutor told Magistrate Lam Tsz-kan that a government laboratory analysis had confirmed the confiscated dangerous drug, popularly known as “ice,” weighed 1.99kg.

The prosecution asked that the case be adjourned until May 5 for legal advice on the value of the drug.
The defense lawyer told Lam that he was not sure if Abba had received the court notice because it was posted only a few days before the hearing, which could explain his absence.

Abba is said to be a torture claimant, with a pending application for non-refoulement or against deportation. He reports to the Immigration every week.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love.

Lam decided not to issue an arrest warrant against Abba, and instead ordered the prosecution to find him and make sure he receives the court notice for the May 5 hearing.

Salazar was remanded in custody.

Salazar and Abba were arrested by Customs officers on Jan 6 in Siu Sai Wan after the parcel containing the drugs was intercepted at the the Hong Kong International Airport Air Mail Centre on Jan 4.

CALL US!

The parcel which was sent from Malaysia, was addressed to Salazar. It contained seven cans of food products in which packets of the drugs were concealed.

Salazar was denied bail when she appeared in court on Jan. 9 but Abba was granted temporary liberty.


PH reports 128 new cases as nationwide tests begin

Posted on No comments
By The SUN

China has protested a Philippine health official's statement that some of its test kits were only 40% accurate


The Philippines reported 128 new coronavirus cases and seven additional deaths on Monday, Mar 30, raising the total number of known infections in the country to 1,546, and the death toll to 78.

No new recoveries were recorded as the Department of Health attributed the surge to the arrival of donated test kits and opening of new laboratories to test samples nationwide as the country presses its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Monday’s new cases were fewer than half of the 343 cases on Sunday, the country’s largest daily tally. The number of recoveries remained at 42.


Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago “Chito” Sta. Romana said Beijing is sending a medical team to the Philippines.

He said in Monday’s “Laging Handa” media briefing that donating medical supplies was also among the list of China’s initiatives. 

“These medical supplies aren't donated from government to government but from private Chinoy, Filipino-Chinese, who donated. They bought the supplies here in China and stored them at one airport where they were picked up by planes,” he said.
Sta. Romana’s announcement of the medical team comes a day after the DOH retracted its earlier statement about China-donated test kits being inaccurate for usage.

Health Undersecretary Ma Rosario Vergeire said on Saturday some test kits from China were only 40% accurate and were thus stored away, but clarified on Sunday that it was just an unnamed brand of kits that was lacking one validation.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila assailed the claim as attempts to undermine Beijing’s cooperation. It sent to media a transcript of a text message sent by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III attesting “there is nothing wrong with the real time-polymerase chain reaction machine” used to generate positive or negative test results. 
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice will allow the release of seized medical supplies to frontline organizations, pending investigation, amid the state of public health emergency.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters in a message that state prosecutors, “pending investigation, will allow the release of seized and impounded medical supplies to the frontline agencies (such as the DOH) for proper disposition.”

The release of these items, including thermal scanners, face masks and alcohol, is “without prejudice to the outcome of the investigation,” he said, adding that representative samples will be retained by prosecutors as evidence.

Sundan ang Kuwentong Dram Love

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration approved on Monday five rapid antibody test kits for Covid-19) that are being used in China and Singapore.

FDA director-general Eric Domingo said the test kits could be useful in some instances such as testing patients with severe symptoms but have no capability to get tested in DOH laboratories.

The kits can also be used in health centers or clinics in areas where there are suspected outbreaks of the disease, Domingo said.
 
Five rapid antibody test kits used by China and Singapore will also be used in suspected cases (Shutterstock)

While the test kits may provide immediate results, the patient must still undergo a confirmatory test using laboratory-based testing, he said.

Domingo explained that the kits will only detect antibodies produced by the patient and not the virus itself. The patient could have a “false positive” or a “false negative result.”

Increases in the national total of the virus' carriers as of late have been linked to the arrival of newly-donated testing kits and the opening of new laboratories bolstering the country’s processing capacity.

As Luzon enters its third week under enhanced community quarantine, DOH asked for compassion to healthcare workers at the forefront of the Covid-19 fight who reportedly suffered violence and discrimination from the public.

On Sunday, DOH condemned the acts of physical assault, harassment and discrimination against health workers, citing the attack on a nurse in Sultan Kudarat by five men who “ganged up” on him and splattered bleach on his face.

DOH also said it has received reports of health workers being refused access to public transport and laundry, blocked and fined at checkpoints and evicted from their homes.

It also urged the Philippine National Police, the Department of Transportation, the Department of the Interior and Local Government and local governments to keep frontliners safe from harm and discrimination.

Meanwhile, Kathryna Yu-Pimentel, wife of Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday, Rappler reported, citing a reliable source.

The hospital where the daughter of the Covid-positive senator was born was not disclosed and there was no word yet of his wife’s virus tests.

However, Senator Pimentel was earlier reported as  having rushed his wife to Makati Medical Center while under quarantine, incurring the wrath of the hospital and many members of the public.

The baby, named Ma Kathryn Helena, is the couple’s first child.


 ---
I-try mo ito, Kabayan: Kung interesado kang ma-contact ang mga advertiser namin dito, pindutin lang ang kanilang ad, at lalabas ang auto-dialer o kanilang website. Pindutin ulit and auto diaoer upang tumawag. Hindi na kailangang pindutin isa-isa ang mga numero.


Don't Miss