Tag: State of Israel

I Love Israel: Israel’s medical experts on a mission here in the Philippines

I Love Israel: Israel’s medical experts on a mission here in the Philippines

carlocarrasco

I am very delighted to learn that the State of Israel continues to provide much-needed assistance to the Filipinos with regards to the COVID-19 crisis. To be specific, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported that another group of medical experts from Israel arrived here in the Philippines recently to take a look at the local response to the pandemic and to enlighten local officials and frontliners. To be clear, this is a follow-up to the previous Israeli health experts who arrived this past June for very similar matters.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA report. Some parts in boldface…

Another group of Israeli medical experts arrived in Manila on Monday to observe the country’s pandemic response and share their best practices in treating coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients.

They were the second group of Israeli experts to arrive in the country following the initial team who visited Manila last June to offer advice on ways to implement a successful vaccine rollout.

The four-member team is composed of infectious diseases and Covid-19 specialist Dr. Guy Choshen; Shira Peleg, head nurse and nursing manager at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center’s Emergency Department; Eyad Jeries, trauma coordinator at Galilee Medical Center; and Chaim Markos Rafalowski, disaster management coordinator at Magen David Adom.

The Department of Health (DOH) said the four will visit hospitals and hold a dialogue with the country’s pandemic response cluster from July 27 to 31 to share their local clinical guidelines for Covid-19, infection control protocols, hospital management, and other practices.

“They are all part of the treatment of Covid-19 in Israel so I’d like to welcome them all and we do hope that they can share with us their best practices in Tel Aviv so we can actually beat this Covid-19 pandemic as fast as we can,” Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said in a speech at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Director Maria Soledad Antonio of DOH-Bureau of International Health Cooperation said the country particularly looks forward to knowing how Israel was able to achieve a low coronavirus mortality rate.

“Baka mamaya may makuha pa tayo sa kanila na mas mai-improve ‘yong kaso lalo na ngayon. At present naman pinapalakas natin ang health system natin (We might get more information from them on ways to improve our situation now in terms of treating patients. But at present, we continue to boost our health system),” she told reporters.

“Sila ay mga batikan sa pag-handle ng pandemya, sila ang nauuna, one of the countries na nauuna (It’s a fact that they are one of the best in handling the crisis, they are one of the leading countries on this),” she added.

Chosen, meanwhile, was elated to visit Manila, seeing this exchange as a great example of strong cooperation between the two nations.

“I think it’s not a common practice in the last year of pandemia to see a coalition of friends, of colleagues, holding hands together, sharing information and trying to solve problems together in contrary to what you usually see, you see nations fight each other. And this is a great example of cooperation between Israel and the Philippines. Hopefully, there would be more in the future,” he said in his arrival speech.

From this point on, the local officials, frontliners and others should pay close attention to what Israel’s medical experts say, point out and emphasize. Organizing vaccination (and the storage for the vaccines), isolating infected patients and assigning the frontliners on each and every location is indeed very challenging due to the archipelago of the Philippines. If there are any major breakthroughs that will happen during the current mission of the Israeli medical experts, I’ll share them here.

For the newcomers reading this, here are some videos to help you know Israel better…

The latest exchange between Israel and the Philippines is a reflection of the stronger ties between the two nations. We should all be thankful to our Lord for making this happen.

Before I end this, here are two holy scriptures for you all…

Jesus looked at them and replied, “With people it is impossible, but not with God—God makes all things possible!”

Mark 10:27 (TPT)

Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Genesis 18:14 (NKJV)

If you truly believe in Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Heavenly Father wholeheartedly and you continue to be faithful (not religious), you should be aware that Christians are meant to stand united with Israel, love the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. You can do your part supporting Israel by donating to Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Do not forget to read the Holy Bible, then pray in tongues to the Lord in the privacy of your room with the door shut.

Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! Always stand in support of Israel!

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

I Love Israel: Exchange of scientists between Israel and the Philippines confirmed

I Love Israel: Exchange of scientists between Israel and the Philippines confirmed

carlocarrasco

As I was browsing the latest and most relevant news at the Philippine News Agency (PNA) recently, I spotted the latest development about Israel-Philippines ties and it is about the exchange of scientists. Very recently, Israeli health experts provided valuable advise to Philippine authorities on dealing with COVID-19.

For me, this is significant because I observed that Israel itself has made lots of advances in the field of science and this was confirmed by the Bloomberg Innovation Index wherein Israel finished as the fifth most innovative country in the world for the year 2019. Israel also has its high-tech industries and excels in green science or agriculture feeding the world along the way.

To put things in perspective about the Israel-Philippines exchange of scientists, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA article. Some parts in boldface…

Israel and the Philippines will be sending scientists to each other’s countries as part of capacity building and trainings, an official of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said on Tuesday.

“The specifics such as the number of the experts, duration and date of the visit will still have to be further discussed. While we want to proceed with the activity as soon as possible, we also need to consider the current situation, including travel advisories both in the Philippines and Israel,” DOST Assistant Secretary for International Cooperation Leah Buendia told the Philippine News Agency.

She said the Filipino experts going to Israel will be trained on drip irrigation, medicinal chemistry, Israel’s drug discovery, and artificial intelligence (AI).

On the other hand, the Israeli scientists going to the Philippines will meet with Filipino researchers.

“One of the agreements during the (Philippines-Israel joint committee meeting on science and technology) is to conduct a workshop which will serve as a platform for Filipino and Israeli experts to discuss their works, and identify potential collaboration. During the meeting, our Israeli counterparts said that they want to visit the Philippines,” she said.

DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña said the meeting with Israel’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) chief scientist, Avi Domb, and other officials of both agencies was held virtually last June 30.

He said they talked about the potential joint initiatives to be implemented on the identified priority areas that include agriculture (water management); AI (robotics); and health (biomedical engineering and drug discovery).

The discussed priorities were guided by the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Scientific Cooperation signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte during his official visit to Israel in 2018, he added.

“Israel is a valuable partner for us. It is part of our 20 priority partners for STI (science, technology, innovation) international cooperation, recognizing their strengths in STI and considering the pronouncements of engaging with non-traditional partners,” Buendia said.

She added that the DOST officials are happy that they finally had the meeting to lay out their plans for the collaboration.

De la Peña earlier reported that capacity building activities include scholarships, visiting professors, and trainings.

The conduct of joint conferences to discuss the respective researches and projects of experts shall also be expected, eyeing the development of AI applications for government/public service and emergency response, among others.

And here are some videos to help you know Israel better…

The latest exchange between Israel and the Philippines regarding scientists is a reflection of the stronger ties between the two nations. We Filipinos should be grateful to the State of Israel, no matter what happens and no matter who are leading as national authorities both here and there. We Filipinos can also give back by supporting Israel in more ways than one. We can pray for Israelites and provide varied support for them (note: refer to the Christians United for Israel reference near the very end of this article below) knowing that there are still terrorists (sponsored by Iran) and other forces of evil that are obsessed in destroying Israel.

Before I end this, here is a holy scripture for you all…

Now, this is what Yahweh says:

    “Listen, Jacob, to the One who created you,

    Israel, to the one who shaped who you are.

    Do not fear,

    for I, your Kinsman-Redeemer, will rescue you.

    I have called you by name, and you are mine.

  When you pass through the deep, stormy sea,

    you can count on me to be there with you.

    When you pass through raging rivers,

    You will not drown.

    When you walk through persecution like fiery flames,

    you will not be burned;

    the flames will not harm you,

  for I am your Savior, Yahweh, your mighty God,

    the Holy One of Israel!

    I give up Egypt as the price to set you free,

    Cush and Seba in exchange to bring you back.

  Since you are cherished and precious in my eyes,

    and because I love you dearly and want to honor you,

    I willingly give up nations in exchange for you—

    a man to save your life.

  I am with you now, even close to you,

    so never yield to fear.

    I will bring your children from the east;

    from the west I will gather you.

  I will say to the north, ‘Hand them over!’

    and to the south, ‘Don’t hold them back!’

    Bring me my sons from far away,

    my daughters from the ends of the earth!

  Bring me everyone who is called by my name,

    the ones I created to experience my glory.

    I myself formed them to be who they are

    and made them for my glory.”

Isaiah 43:1-7 (TPT)

If you truly believe in Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Heavenly Father wholeheartedly and you continue to be faithful (not religious), you should be aware that Christians are meant to stand united with Israel, love the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. You can do your part supporting Israel by donating to Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Do not forget to read the Holy Bible, then pray in tongues to the Lord in the privacy of your room with the door shut.

Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! Always stand in support of Israel!

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

I Love Israel: Thank you Israel for sharing your COVID-19 expertise to help the Philippines improve its ways

I Love Israel: Thank you Israel for sharing your COVID-19 expertise to help the Philippines improve its ways

carlocarrasco

We Filipinos should be thankful to the State of Israel as their health experts shared their expertise to the national and local authorities about handling COVID-19 since they arrived here in the Philippines. They also visited and inspected vaccination hubs.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the most recent Philippine News Agency (PNA) article. Some parts in boldface…

Visiting Israeli health experts shared best practices in managing their country’s cold chain and logistics systems during a meeting held here with Covid-19 task force officials, members of the medical community and private sector representatives on Tuesday.

Considering the archipelagic composition of the Philippines, the health experts advised their Filipino counterparts to create centralized vaccine storage hubs that will cater to both urbanized and far-flung areas in the country.

“The Philippines needs more hubs since it is an archipelago. You should go for creating centralized hubs for Pfizer vaccines based on the ability to reach a certain population, and possibly with a customized approach in more remote areas,” said Adam Segal, logistics and operations manager of Salomon Levid & Elstein Ltd.

“Centralized hubs for vaccine storage will work with metropolitan areas, with a dedicated approach in remote areas,” Segal added.

He said the Israeli Ministry of Health has also developed a smaller packaging for their vaccines. He explained that the vaccines are more secure and less prone to shaking with the smaller packaging they use.

Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje requested the Israeli team to provide samples of their vials so that it will be easier for the Philippines to reproduce them.

Efficient data management

The effective management of Covid-19 data was also among the main topics covered during the learning session held between Covid-19 task force members and Israeli health experts.

Officials from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) led the discussions on the current strategy of the Philippines in managing its vaccine deployment data.

The three-member Israeli delegation explained how they developed and managed their vaccination data system.

According to Dafna Segol, the Israeli government uses a data-based approach when making decisions related to its vaccination program.

One key feature of the Israeli vaccine information system is its use of a “traffic light” model. Through this approach, Israeli authorities are able to identify cities or areas that warrant immediate action.

“It allows us to focus on cities that need more attention,” Segol added.

Data warehouse

DICT’s Christian Edmond Chua said the agency established a data warehouse to capture information related to the vaccine supply chain and then process them to make crucial day-to-day decisions.

Chua noted that the local government units’ lack of resources remains the biggest challenge for data management in the vaccination program.

To address this situation, he said the DICT has designated LGUs as the “data owner” of their vaccination records.

This means the LGUs are accountable for submitting accurate information based on their vaccination records.

“In terms of the development of the technologies and tools to help in the submission (of vaccine data), we are adopting a low tech and low internet process,” Chua said.

The National Task Force Against Covid-19 has also developed an application that will ensure transparency and accountability in submitting data to the National Vaccination Operations Center.

“We monitor not only the performance of the LGUs but it is also helpful in providing feedback for the public policy health experts in calibrating our vaccination program,” Chua said.

The Covid-19 task force officials thanked the delegation for sharing their insights on how the Philippine government can further enhance its data management system.

“We look forward to applying the same lessons we have learned into our own practices in the Philippines,” DICT Director Amelia Dean said.

Lessons learned

Meanwhile, Health Undersecretary Ma. Carolina Vidal-Taiño noted that the meeting with the Israeli health experts would help the government further improve the implementation of its vaccine rollout.

“As we prepare for the arrival of the 40-million vaccines from Pfizer, the sharing of best practices and strategies from our Israeli partners will be a learning opportunity that we can adopt in our practice,” Vidal-Taiño said.

“We will consider the four success factors of Israel on vaccine distribution. First, the availability of trained human resources and the availability of infrastructure. Second, the small batch packaging, which we are very interested in. Third, the high usage rate and minimal waste. And lastly, the adequate preparation for the storage capacity and the outstanding cold chain distribution,” she said.

“We have to strictly follow the safe handling of the vaccines,” said NTF Against Covid-19 chief implementer and vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galvez during the discussions.

As you can see in the details above, the Philippines is very fortunate to learn from Israel’s health experts. As the Philippines has a population of over 100 million and an archipelago with lots of cities, towns and small communities scattered throughout, dealing with COVID-19 and getting people tested or vaccinated will always be a tremendous challenge. Israel’s success in handling COVID-19 and normalizing the lives of many people make a good starting point that leaders here in the Philippines – from the national government down to the provincial governments, the local governments, the barangays and to the homeowner’s associations – can learn from and be able to make adjustments. There are certain factors about the COVID-19 problem that the Philippines does not share with Israel, but new ways can made to improve the local COVID-19 programs now that the Israeli health experts shared their views and strategies to their local counterparts.

Watch this informative video about Israel’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

Even though major breakthroughs in the Philippines’ effort on solving the pandemic-related problems and getting everyone vaccinated have yet to be realized, we Filipinos should be grateful to the State of Israel and give back by supporting them in more ways than one. We should also strengthen Israel-Philippine relations! Remember that Israel helped us and they committed with advising and improving the local COVID-19 efforts and processes. Iran did NOT help the Philippines. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) did NOT help the Philippines. Black Lives Matter cares NOTHING about the Philippines. The Democratic Socialists and SJWs overseas DO NOT really care about people here in the Philippines. Israel cared for us Filipinos.

Before ending this article, posted below is a holy scripture…

Pray and seek for Jerusalem’s peace,

for all who love her will prosper!

Psalm 122:6 (TPT)

If you truly believe in Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Heavenly Father wholeheartedly and you continue to be faithful (not religious), you should be aware that Christians are meant to stand united with Israel, love the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. You can do your part supporting Israel by donating to Christians United for Israel (CUFI). Do not forget to read the Holy Bible, then pray in tongues to the Lord in the privacy of your room with the door shut.

Always be the fearless and aggressive church of Lord Jesus! Always stand in support of Israel!

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

I Love Israel: Direct Philippines-Israel flights before the end of 2021 in the works

I Love Israel: Direct Philippines-Israel flights before the end of 2021 in the works

carlocarrasco

Have you been dreaming of visiting the Holy Land or doing business in Tel Aviv in Israel? There is something positive in development right now and breakthroughs could happen before the year ends. This is because recently, Israel’s Ambassador Rafael Harpaz announced that the establishment of direct flights between the Philippines and Israel is being worked on with 2021 in mind (specifically before the end of the year). There is no timeline yet as to when will Philippines-Israel travel will resume but make no mistake that Israel is opening its borders to foreign tourists (who got vaccinated for COVID-19) starting May 23, 2021 which itself is connected with their successful vaccination program.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Philippine News Agency (PNA) article. Some parts in bold…

Direct flights between the Philippines and Israel before the end of the year are in the pipeline, Israeli Ambassador to Manila Rafael Harpaz said Friday.

“We would like very much for the Filipino tourists to be back to Israel. The Philippine Airlines already informed us that they are planning to start a direct flight to Israel towards the end of the year,” Harpaz told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview.

There’s no timeline yet when tourism exchanges between the Philippines and Israel would resume, but he said the deployment of Filipino caregivers continues despite the pandemic.

“Actually, every day we see new caregivers because there is a demand. So they are flying to Israel and when they get there, they also get the vaccine immediately,” Harpaz said. “We don’t have a quota (on deployment) but it depends on the demand. Because our population is getting older and older, the demand is getting high. We also have from other countries but the demand is high for Filipino caregivers.”

In 2019 alone, about 35,000 Filipino tourists visited Israel, while more than 30,000 overseas Filipinos are working there as caregivers.

‘Tourism restart’

At present, there is no agreement between the Philippines and Israel for a travel bubble setup, but Harpaz said he is hopeful that the two nations’ tourism exchanges would soon resume.

He added that several Filipino tour operators are interested to bring travel groups once Israel fully reopens.

“They’re waiting. There’s so many tour operators in the Philippines who are eager to take groups to Israel because it’s a big tourist destination for Filipinos,” Harpaz said. “The Israelis are also eager. The businessmen are eager to return to the Philippines. They want to go to Banawe, Palawan, Siquijor, and all those wonderful places. Let’s hope that it will soon work out.”

Israel is opening up its borders to foreign tourists under a travel bubble setup, with the vaccinated population no longer required to undergo a long period of quarantine.

But for now, the vaccines that Israel recognizes for this arrangement are Pfizer and Moderna.

It has so far signed a travel bubble agreement with Cyprus and Greece.

“We are moving slowly with more countries because we want to have tourism back and business back,” he said.

As you already know, I strongly believe that the ties between my native Philippines and Israel are very essential. I really love it when Israelites and Filipinos are in harmony together, and the fact that Filipino caregivers and students were vaccinated for free in Israel is an example of that. Filipino caregivers have been known to be very helpful towards Israelites and there is a strong demand for more caregivers. Christians here in the Philippines, led by faith, love to visit the Holy Land and discover personally the places where Lord Jesus had been to.

Speaking of Philippines-Israel ties, Ambassador Harpaz also announced more good news for Filipinos struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. Posted below is an excerpt from another Philippine News Agency article…

The Philippines can expect to be among the priority countries of Israel once the latter is able to transfer its excess vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Israel Ambassador to Manila Rafael Harpaz said Friday.

Harpaz explained that Israel, for the time being, could not transport its extra vaccine doses to any third country due to some legal issues in its contract with Pfizer.

“It has nothing to do with the Philippines. Israel, for the time being, was not able to give vaccines to a third country because we have a contract and there are limitations on giving it to a third party,” he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview on Friday.

Aside from Manila, more than 10 countries have also expressed interest in purchasing their excess vaccines, Harpaz said.

“It’s something we are looking generally in a favorable manner but it’s the legal issues that must be resolved first. But it’s one of the issues in the discussions and when the moment that there would be a green light to give (the vaccines) as assistance to third countries, the Philippines will certainly be among them,” he said.

“The Philippines is definitely a high priority for us once we’re capable of giving away the vaccines.“

Wow! Considering the current situation here in the Philippines, it’s nice to learn that our country is a high priority for Israel for potential donations of excess vaccines from their own stocks. The legal issues are blocking access. To be very clear, the Philippines secured many millions of COVID-19 vaccines but those stocks cannot come fast enough. Very recently, the cities of Muntinlupa and Parañaque became the first recipients of vaccines from Russia. How many exactly? THREE THOUSAND doses for each city.

In closing this, here are some Israel-related videos for your viewing pleasure and for your insight.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

I Love Israel: Israel’s success in dealing with the pandemic acknowledged

I Love Israel: Israel’s success in dealing with the pandemic acknowledged

carlocarrasco

Yesterday, there was this article published in the Philippine Star (online version here) with a title that caught my attention…O Israel!

The said article was written by long-time columnist Boo Chanco (who cited the Washington Post, Capital Economics and Deutsche Welle for context) and to put things in perspective, below are notable excerpts for your reading. Some parts in bold…

Excerpt 1

According to The Washington Post, Israel is now partying like it’s 2019.

“With most adults now vaccinated against the coronavirus and restrictions falling away – including the lifting this week of outdoor mask requirements – Israelis are joyously resuming routines that were disrupted more than a year ago and providing a glimpse of what the future could hold for other countries.”

Oh, Israel! How did you guys do it? We are still in limbo. The best guess for us puts two more years of aimless wandering in the COVID desert.

Excerpt 2

According to The Washington Post, “the rate of new infections has plummeted – from a peak of almost 10,000 a day to about 140 – and the number of serious coronavirus cases in many hospitals is down to single digits.

“The emergency COVID-19 ward at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv resumed duty as a parking garage, and waiting rooms are suddenly flooded with non-COVID patients coming for long-deferred treatments.”

But Israeli health officials are quick to note that the pandemic is not over. They are worried about the variants. There is also the possibility of outbreaks in schools, where most students are too young to be vaccinated.

Still, Israel is showing what other nations can expect if they can keep on vaccinating.

“With almost 90 percent of the most vulnerable cohort – those 50 and older – fully inoculated, experts say hospital ICU units are now shielded from being overwhelmed, as almost happened earlier in the pandemic.”

Just two months ago, the spread of the disease stubbornly refused to slow. Vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine is making the difference for Israel.

Dr. Tony Leachon, who once advised IATF, however observed rightly that while “vaccines save lives, the success of Israel is anchored on leadership and governance, and agility in execution.”

According to Deutsche Welle, Israel was able to secure large quantities of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine because Israel agreed to pay double the price for each dose.

Excerpt 3

Israeli officials explained they agreed to pay extra per dose because they figured that in pure economic numbers, the total amount they overpaid was a miniscule fraction of what it costs to lockdown the country. This is not counting the extra medical costs of COVID and the incalculable price of losing a loved one.

Poor Filipinos. We don’t have leaders who think as clearly as the Israelis. We have red tape loving bureaucrats. So, we didn’t have enough vaccines early enough, and it seems we have the wrong one.

A successful vaccination rollout would be our country’s economic game changer. But as Capital Economics said, progress has been disappointing as only one percent of the population has been inoculated almost two months since the start of the program.

Israel launched one of the fastest rollouts in the world. According to The Washington Post, Israel delivered just under 10 million doses of the two-shot Pfizer vaccine regimen, reaching 4.98 million people or about 55 percent of its total population. An additional 400,000 Israelis have received one shot.

“If those who have been infected and then recovered are added, more than 60 percent of Israeli residents now have some level of protective antibodies. The virus is running short of vulnerable bodies to infect.”

Can you imagine if we were able to do that for Metro Manila? NCR’s population is comparable in number to Israel’s.

Wow! Those are very notable details. It is very clear that Israel went all-out and paid heavily to protect their people and set the stage for social and economic comebacks. I admire Israel for their focus, their efforts and management of the COVID-19 crisis (China Virus) there. To put things in perspective, watch these related YouTube videos below…

By comparison, the efforts here in the Philippines are nowhere as efficient and nowhere as successful. It should be noted that yesterday, the Philippines’ total number of COVID-19 cases has passed the 1,000,000 mark. Regardless, I encourage you all to read Boo Chanco’s article in full at https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/04/26/2093707/oh-israel

Going back to Israel, they already announced that they will open their borders to foreign visitors who have already been vaccinated for COVID-19.

In ending this piece, let me ask you readers the following questions:

  1. What is your opinion about Israel’s COVID-19 vaccination program and the way they managed their economy and society?
  2. Here in the Philippines, what is your opinion about the COVID-19 crisis-related efforts of the national government as well as the local government units (LGUs)?
  3. Also here in the Philippines, as local citizens, do you believe your respective mayors are diligently working to serve you and protect your from COVID-19? Do you find your mayors more focused with their egos instead of performing public service?
  4. Still here in the Philippines, if you are a local business owner or manager, has your local government been helpful or harmful?

If you are willing to answer, please do so in the comments section below. If you want more privacy, please contact me directly online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

COVID-19 Crisis: New isolation facility to open soon in Las Piñas City

COVID-19 Crisis: New isolation facility to open soon in Las Piñas City

carlocarrasco

Even as the City Government of Las Piñas continues with its COVID-19 (China virus) vaccination program, the Manila Bulletin reported recently that the local authorities announced that a brand new isolation facility will open soon.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report. Some parts in bold…

Mayor Imelda Aguilar said the new isolation facility will be called the Ligtas Center 2 located along Talon Dos with a 120- bed capacity.

Aguilar said the city government has two existing isolation facilities — Ligtas I located in Barangay Daniel Fajardo with 100 beds, and Ligtas 3 located in Barangay Almanza Dos with 88 beds.

She said the City Health Office (CHO) reported that due to the city government’s intensification of its isolation efforts, Ligtas 1 is already 70 percent occupied while Ligtas 3 now has an 85 percent occupancy.

The mayor said that Ligtas 2 is now ready to open to help residents who have contracted COVID-19 virus and need to be placed in a quarantine facility.

Do the math, the addition of the new isolation facility will push the total bed-count from the current 188 to 308. That’s a jump of 63.8%! As much as possible, there should be available beds for people in the city who got infected with COVID-19. This is really good news for people of the city.

Las Piñas residents who want to get vaccinated are encouraged to get registered digitally or manually. Click right here for information.

In case you missed the news, our nation will be receiving many millions more vaccines from overseas in the months to come.

Meanwhile overseas, Israel has made tremendous progress with its widescale vaccination program and already a second round of COVID-19 vaccination is being planned. Already the mask mandate in Israel has been rescinded. Schools have been reopened and more people are moving around without masks. With regards to being in indoor public places like stores, malls and churches, masks are still required.

Going back to Las Piñas City, something happened that should remind you all to avoid getting scammed. According to GMA Network News, three suspects were apprehended in the city as a result of an entrapment operation in relation to the alleged issuance of fake RT-PCR test results for COVID-19.

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