A girl gets vaccinated against COVID-19 in Marikina city, the Philippines, on November 29, 2021 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) SecretaryGeneral of the Philippine House of Representatives Mark Llandro Mendoza said thelower house is currently under lockdown to prevent the spread of the Omicronvariant to ensure the safety of its members, secretariat, and employees.
Meanwhile, headof the upper house Vicente Sotto said there have been no reports aboutinfections with the virus among lawmakers.
Both chambersof the Philippine parliament are scheduled to get back to work on January 17.
The number ofnew COVID-19 cases in this country recently hit a two-month high. After Omicroninfections were reported in the community, the Philippine Department of Health haswarned about a surge in new cases on the coming days.
To date, the Philippines has confirmedover 2.8 million coronavirus cases and more than 50,000 related fatalities,according to the health ministry.
In Indonesia, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin saidthe country has prepared 120,000 hospital beds, along with medical supplies,in anticipation of new outbreaks caused by the Omicron variant.
Talking to the press on January 3, he said Indonesia hasallocated 120,000 or 30 percent of 400,000 beds at hospitals for treating COVID-19 patients.
He noted the Government will also ensure sufficient oxygen supply for hospitals,adding that it has secured 16,000oxygen concentrators equivalent to 800 tonnes of oxygen per day to bedistributed to all hospitals in Indonesia, especially those with difficult accessto oxygen.
In addition, the Indonesian Government has procuredMolnupiravir, a drug that has been proved to be able to reduce the symptoms ofCOVID-19 patients, the official added./.
VNA
