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The Department of Health (DOH) has defended its move to release the Covid-19 case bulletin weekly as this is one of the ways for the public to “learn to live with the virus.”

The Philippines recorded 598 new Covid-19 infections on Thursday, March 17.

The Department of Health (DOH) reminded Filipinos to keep themselves hydrated this dry season to prevent them from having heat-related illnesses.

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III said that all areas in the country may be under Covid-19 Alert Level 1 until the end of President Duterte’s term in June this year.

The emergency use authorization (EUA) of Covid-19 vaccines should be amended first if the government will approve the administration of a fourth vaccine dose, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

The coronavirus variants Deltacron and Omicron BA.2.2 sublineage have not reached the Philippines yet, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Wednesday, March 16.

It’s been two years since the Covid-19 was declared as a pandemic. No country was spared from its ill effects—increasing number of cases, lockdowns, loss of lives and livelihood, among others. But now, some nations, including the Philippines, are starting to see some semblance of normalcy as the Covid-19 situation continues to improve. Metro Manila was first put under an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) on March 15, 2020 and two days later—March 17, the Philippine government decided to implement the said strictest quarantine level in the entire island of Luzon in order to curb the rising number of infections then. “When the lockdown was enforced two years ago, I felt that it’s going to be difficult for most of the Filipinos because we were not used to that. It was scary at first knowing that our movements would be very limited,” said Renz Kenneth De Guzman, 26, a resident of Meycauayan in Bulacan. “During that time, the company that I was working for temporarily had to halt its operations. As a result, I was greatly affected and had to go back home,” he added. Under the ECQ, Filipinos were required to strictly stay at home. People would only be allowed to go out to access basic necessities such as buying food and medicine. Public transportation was suspended, businesses considered as non-essential were closed, and on-campus classes were suspended. Most work were also suspended while some operated in a skeletal workforce or have implemented a work-from-home arrangement. “As a healthcare worker, I was one of those people who got affected by the pandemic and lockdown that happened two years ago. The area of my life that really affected me so much was my job,” said Jennifer Orbigo, 26, a resident of Meycauyan in Bulacan. “It was much harder to continue working with a lot of restrictions, a lot of worries for myself and my family that I ended up having to stop working for a while,” she added.

The Department of Health (DOH) reported 564 more people who contracted Covid-19.

An official of the Department of Health (DOH) said that the conduct of the 4th Covid-19 national vaccination drive or the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” campaign has been extended to further increase the country’s vaccination coverage.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has welcomed the move of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) in launching an electronic complaints management system.

The Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Vaccine Expert Panel (VEP) has recommended the use of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine among children six to 17 years old.

The government is planning to extend the conduct of the fourth round of the national vaccination drive or the “Bayanihan, Bakunahan” program after it only reached 44 percent of its vaccination target, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said.

The Philippines is better prepared to face the Deltacron coronavirus variant, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Pfizer’s Covid-19 treatment drug Paxlovid.

An infectious disease expert urged the government not to drop the mandatory wearing of face masks if it decides to place some areas under the Alert Level 0.

Sixty-four million Filipinos were already fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

The government’s pandemic task force is set to discuss the parameters about placing some areas under “Alert Level 0” amid the decreasing number of Covid-19 cases in the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

The Philippines is planning to donate some of its Covid-19 vaccines to other nations in a bid to help ramp up their vaccination activities, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Thursday, March 10.