MANILA, Philippines — Health experts said on Wednesday that for now, they would not recommend giving second booster shots to other priority groups, particularly, economic front-liners and people with comorbidities. In fact, the incremental benefit from the second dose to the first booster is very big. But the incremental benefit between the first booster and the second booster is much smaller compared to that between [the] second dose and the first booster,” Salvaña said. Just waitThe government recently started administering second booster shots to immunocompromised persons, regardless of which priority sector they belong to, followed by health workers and the elderly. And currently, evidence to support benefits for boosters are for those identified which are the immunocompromised, seniors and health-care workers,” Lim said.

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Imee Marcos slammed the Department of Agriculture (DA) for supposedly trying to pull off a “midnight deal” to import fish to the detriment of local fishers. Marcos, chair of the Senate committee on economic affairs, criticized Agriculture Secretary William Dar for signing on Monday Administrative Order No. 10-2022 which allows the importation of 38,695 metric tons of small pelagic fish, like galunggong (round scad), sardines and mackerel. “The DA’s midnight madness goes on, from contriving a shortage earlier this year while a large supply was still in storage to bypassing outright the NFARMC,” Marcos said. But, Marcos said, the Fisheries Code requires the DA to consult with the NFARMC on decisions affecting stakeholders in the fishing industry.

MANILA, Philippines — “Early signals” of another surge in COVID-19 infections are being noted, with instances of reversals in the downward trend of cases posted in the past month, according to an adviser of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF). ADVERTISEMENTThe data showed fluctuations in the weekly growth rate from April 22 to May 22. Most of the reported weekly infections had been declining in number but significantly increased around the first week and fourth week of May, to register a positive weekly growth rate of 4-6 percent. Johns Hopkins defines the weekly growth rate as the change in the number of confirmed cases over the last seven days relative to the number in the previous similar period. “However, even if none have been sustained, we should take these as early warning signals and take the appropriate steps,” he said.

AFP PHOTODAVOS, Switzerland: United States billionaire George Soros warned on Tuesday that "civilization may not survive" Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but said Europe could have a stronger position against Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding gas than it realizes. "The invasion may have been the beginning of the Third World War and our civilization may not survive it," Soros said. The best and, perhaps, only way to preserve our civilization is to defeat Putin as soon as possible," he added. He praised US and European support for Ukraine, but Europe's dependence on Russian fossil fuels "remains excessive," Soros said. The European Union is now aiming to reduce its use of Russian gas by two-thirds this year, but it has fallen short of banning imports due to German reluctance.

A man luckily found a needle sticking out of a seat on bus route 68M jabbed his backpack instead of him on Wednesday afternoon in Tsuen Wan. The incident was reported to police when the bus, traveling from Yuen Long (West) to Tsuen Wan MTR Station, reached the bus terminal on Sai Lau Kok Road in Tsuen Wan. He found his backpack planted on the seat as he planned to alight and grabbed his backpack, and then spotted the needle after close examination. On May 6, a 60-year-old woman was stabbed in the back by a 5cm long needle pierced in the back of a route 81 bus seat on the lower deck. Earlier on May 2, a 40-year-old man saw a needle hidden on the seat next to him on route 73 from Tai Po.

Doctors at Queen Mary Hospital on Monday made an urgent appeal for a heart donation to save the life of a 65-year-old woman who was diagnosed with acute myocarditis, with her own organ failing. Potential donors should have O-positive blood type, according to Dr Oswald Joseph Lee On-jing, associate consultant at the department of cardiothoracic surgery at Queen Mary Hospital. Hui on April 6 visited a private hospital for chest pains and shortness of breath but was later transferred to Queen Mary Hospital due to abnormal electrocardiogram results. As her condition continued to worsen in late April, doctors placed her on a heart transplant waiting list. They also installed bi-ventricular assist devices, which help both sides of the heart pump enough blood to the rest of the body, as a temporary measure.

Citibank expects single-digit growth in the credit card market in Hong Kong for the second half of the year. But Li expected credit card sales will pick up to record a single-digit growth in the second half of the year thanks to the easing of the Covid and the positive effect of the latest round of the consumption voucher program. This came as Citibank, HKT's (6823) loyalty program The Club and Mastercard yesterday announced the official launch of Citi The Club Credit Card, which offers spending rebates of up to 4 percent. The new card had a soft launch in April, with 60 percent of applicants aged between 30 and 45. "Certainly for Standard Chartered bank, the cost would be much greater than the benefit.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOHAVE you experienced sitting with your kids way past mealtime just to make sure they eat their veggies on the plate? Even celebrities such as Camille Prats-Yambao have to do a bit of negotiating just to get her kids to eat their veggies. Instead of only serving your kids veggies, partner your kids' meals with Tang Fruit & Veg. Incorporate veggies in delectable recipes that you know your kids will surely love. Shop for Tang Fruit & Veg to get the yummy taste of fruits with the nutritional benefits of veggies via http://bit.ly/TangFruitNVeg.

MANILA, Philippines — The reproduction number (R0) of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila has increased but the metropolis has remained under the “low risk” classification, independent pandemic monitor OCTA Research said on Tuesday. OCTA research fellow Guido David said the current reproduction number in the National Capital Region has increased to 1.05 as of May 20, compared to the area’s R0 of 0.90 in its previous report. The current R0 of 1.05 meant that each existing infection would cause more than one new infection. “Based on current data, the worst-case scenario we see over the next few weeks is a weak surge in COVID-19 cases,” David added. READ: DOH detects Omicron BA.4 subvariant in PHSo far, the new Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.2.12.1.

MEETING OF MINDS United States President Joe Biden (left) talks to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a bilateral meeting at the Akasaka Palace in Tokyo on Monday, May 23, 2022. Speaking at a news conference after holding talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Biden acknowledged that the US economy had "problems," but said they were "less consequential than the rest of the world has." Biden's comments came just before he launched the trade deal, called the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Biden and Kishida were joined for the launch event by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while representatives from the other countries appeared by video. Kishida said at their meeting that he was "absolutely delighted" to welcome Biden to Tokyo on the first Asia trip of his presidency.

SOAKED UNDER THE SUN A girl wades through a flooded area after heavy rains in Companiganj, Bangladesh on Sunday, May 22, 2022. AFP PHOTODHAKA: Pre-monsoon rains have flooded parts of India and Bangladesh, killing at least 24 people in recent weeks and sending 90,000 people into shelters, authorities said on Monday. Both heavily populated nations in South Asia are prone to frequent floods and are considered major victims of climate change. The deaths have been reported since April 6 in India's northeastern region, with Assam state continuing to experience floods. People also lack drinking water as wells have been under floodwaters or the water supply system has been damaged.

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TUGUEGARAO CITY––A 24-year-old man in Luna town in Apayao province was placed in police custody Monday while applying for a police clearance after it was discovered that he had a pending warrant of arrest. Lt. Harvey Bao Isang, Luna police spokesperson, said the man, whose name was withheld, had been indicted in 2019 for rape in San Mateo town, Rizal province. ADVERTISEMENTInvestigators said the man did not know that the police have centralized data of the names of people with pending criminal cases. lzbRELATED STORIES:Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyRead Next

A project manager filed a lawsuit against his ex-employer, a charitable foundation, via the Equal Opportunities Commission after he was fired for being infected with Covid-19. The 49-year-old project manager Tario M was employed by a charitable foundation in 2020 but confirmed with Covid-19 one month later. The manager on Monday filed a lawsuit to the District Court through the EOC, alleging that the foundation had violated the Disability Discrimination Ordinance. He then accompanied his wife for an antenatal examination on January 16, so he took another day of unpaid leave. Therefore, the foundation terminated his employment contract from his last day of work and transferred his salary to his bank account.

A woman in her 40s was hit by a taxi when crossing ten traffic lanes in Yau Ma Tei and was later pronounced dead. The woman was crossing the ten lanes between Tak Cheong Street and Ferry Street at about 6pm Monday when she get hit, according to police. She lost consciousness on the scene and was sent to Kwong Wah Hospital along with the taxi driver and a passenger. There is no pedestrian crossing at the scene of the accident, but only a pedestrian footbridge. After a preliminary investigation, police said that the deceased attempted to cross the driveway for the sake of convenience, which caused the fatal accident.