As cases continue to grow in the country during the second half of 2021, misinformed claims that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are “ineffective and unsafe” keep circulating on social media.
Disagreeing on the use of face masks as protective gear, actor Crispin “Pen” Medina claimed the novel coronavirus “can go through any mask” because it is extremely small. This lacks context.
Barely 15 months after President Rodrigo Duterte banned “the use, sale or purchase of e-cigarettes and tobacco products” to persons below 21 years old, the House of Representatives approved a bill lowering to 18 the minimum age of persons who can buy heated tobacco products (HTPs) and electronic nicotine/non-nicotine delivery systems (ENDs/ENNDS).
Despite a warning from Facebook (FB) against pages spreading information that violates its community standards, partylist Reps. Michael “Mike” Defensor and Rodante Marcoleta have maintained that the antiparasitic drug ivermectin can be used against any variant of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The claim does not have sufficient scientific basis.
Locally, vaccine wastage often happens due to “oversight in the monitoring of vaccine storage temperatures."
Bagong Henerasyon Party-list, in its official Facebook (FB) page, claimed that doctors are now allowed to prescribe ivermectin to their patients, citing a statement by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. This needs context.
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III implicitly claimed that unvaccinated persons against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have nothing to fear if they are surrounded by fully vaccinated individuals. This needs context.
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso wrongly attributed to the United States (U.S.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a study that suggested limited effectiveness of face shields in curbing the transmission of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
In explaining the government’s directive to keep using face masks and face shields to help control the transmission and spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque wrongly equated the protection from using these protective gear to getting vaccinated against the disease.
Health experts underscored the need to “increase the pace of vaccination” as the Philippines' coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections breached the one million mark on April 26.
