Rappler
Duterte says gov’t procuring face masks amid shortage due to coronavirus outbreak
President Rodrigo Duterte announced that the government is actively procuring more face masks to address the scarcity caused by the global demand driven by the novel coronavirus.
The President assured the public that despite the depleted supply, new shipments of face masks are expected to arrive.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez stated that the government can make available two million face masks monthly, with one million designated for the Department of Health and public health workers, and the other million for retailers.
Duterte emphasized that the government is taking concrete actions and allocating resources to manage the shortage and protect the public.
He advised against excessive fear, noting that as of the announcement, there were only two confirmed cases of the virus in the country.
The article mentions the Philippines' first reported death outside of Wuhan, China, which was attributed to the coronavirus.
Health authorities have advised that face masks are primarily recommended for individuals with respiratory illnesses and healthcare workers, not yet for the general public due to the absence of local transmission at the time.
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Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez announced that two million face masks will be available within a month to address the nCoV outbreak.
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Davao City first district Representative Paolo "Pulong" Duterte distributed approximately 9,500 face masks to residents in various locations across the city to address the growing demand caused by the novel Coronavirus (nCoV) scare.
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The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has acknowledged a shortage in face mask supply due to a sudden surge in demand following the confirmation of the Philippines' first novel coronavirus (nCoV) case.
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Two House bills propose a supplemental budget of P2 billion to P2.24 billion for the Department of Health (DOH) to purchase surgical masks and personal protective equipment (PPE).
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The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) has called on the Department of Health (DOH) to distribute free face masks to workers, especially those in areas visited by the country's first confirmed novel coronavirus case.
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