On Wednesday night, the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7) released its official, consolidated data of the COVID-19 cases in the region as of August 18, 2021.
Today, the whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and the Cebu Province — recorded 1,153 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 768 new recoveries, and 60 new deaths. This brings Cebu’s total confirmed cases to 82,624, while the active cases increased to 13,211 (from 12,882).
Breakdown of cases:
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 34,957 (+417 new) – Total recoveries: 29,399 (+208 new) – Total deaths: 1,085 (+13 new) – Active cases: 4,473
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 10,784 (+169 new) – Total recoveries: 8,753 (+71 new) – Total deaths: 286 (+15 new) – Active cases: 1,745
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 9,780 (+96 new) – Total recoveries: 7,723 (+95 new) – Total deaths: 290 (+4 new) – Active cases: 1,767
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 27,103 (+471 new) – Total recoveries: 20,594 (+394 new) – Total deaths: 1,283 (+28 new) – Active cases: 5,226
Summary of COVID-19 cases in Cebu:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 13,211 (from 12,882)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 82,624 (+1,153 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 66,469 (+768 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 2,944 (+60 new*)
A total of 5,271 laboratory results were released for today.
NOTES from DOH-7:
*As per DOH-7, the additional deaths in the report are not due to the overnight spike in deaths but due to more accurate data collection and validating efforts. Not all of those deaths occurred today but occurred more than a week ago.
Reports maybe subject to change as these claims undergo thorough validation by the local healthcare offices and health personnel.
“We’re all born naked and the rest is drag.” -RuPaul
If you’ve followed the famous reality competition series and wondered if you could ever be one, then here is your chance to become the Philippines’ First Drag Superstar.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Philippines is now casting as one of its international versions and will premiere exclusively on WOW Presents Plus.
RuPaul has personally called on all fierce queens of the Philippines to submit their entries for casting through a video, inviting them to showcase their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.
The series, which has shined a spotlight on so many incredible queens, has a total of 19 Emmy wins, making it the Television Academy’s most-awarded reality competition show in history from around the world.
Check out the show’s teaser here:
Drag is about artistry, fashion, and detail, as well as performance and personality. Drag Race Philippines will be a good opportunity to help hard working drag queens get publicity and uplift the voices of the lgbtq+ people. It also helps them feel more comfortable in their skin as well as provide good entertainment.
Drag Race Philippines will have Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey, Tom Campbell and RuPaul serving as the executive producers on the series. The host, judges, cast, and premiere date are still to be announced.
World of Wonder has yet to announce other details about Drag Race Philippines, including its host, panel, and target airing date. Fans on Twitter are hoping Paolo Ballesteros and Vice Ganda to become hosts for the series.
“When you become the image of your own imagination, it’s the most powerful thing you could ever do.” – RuPaul
Taking it from RuPaul, imagination is the limit, so what are you waiting for queen?
A true trail blazer for costume, set and production design in film and theater comes from Cebu.
Yes, it is a wonder how some people may not know Clint Ramos, a Cebuano costume designer that have even caught the attention and recognition of Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Hudson.
Clint Ramos is a Filipino-American costume and set designer who have made history as the first Filipino and Asian – and the first person of color – to win the best costume design of a play for ‘Eclipsed’ in the Tony Awards. As one of the theater world’s biggest honor, Ramos is on a league of his own indeed.
Clint Ramos is also the costume designer for the 2021 movie ‘Respect,’ a biopic of the late Aretha Franklin’s life from her roots in her father’s church choir as a child to becoming an international musical superstar and her struggle in her personal life.
The Queen of Soul will be played by American singer and actress- Jennifer Hudson which is why when Jennifer visited Oprah in her show OWN Spotlight, they were gushing praises about his costumes for Respect.
Photo from MGM Studios Facebook Page
Photo from MGM Studios Facebook Page
Photo from MGM Studios Facebook Page
Photo from MGM Studios Facebook Page
Oprah opened with this statement. “Let’s talk about the clothes, y’all. Okay, I don’t know who was in charge of the wardrobing there but…”
And of course, Jennifer offered his name. “Clint Ramos” and added“It’s amazing,” as both were clapping. Jennifer also stated in another interview that the costumes gave her a huge sense of personality.
Ramos was very happy being recognized and jokingly shared that he actually went to heaven for that and that it was a wonderful surprise as those who work behind the screen are often not mentioned.
Costume designer do not just dress the stars but they dress thousands of people as background players which Ramos also want to point out that there is an actual team of hundreds behind all of it– from the beaders, sewers to everyone involved on designing the pieces.
Growing up in Cebu, Clint Ramo’s inspiration was his mom Erlinda Ramos whom he said taught him about style, taste and everything else.
Going hard and early, as the Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern announced a nationwide lockdown after its first one coronavirus case.
Treating it as the contagious Delta variant while still waiting for the genome sequencing, Ardern held a press conference and declared that New Zealand will be under level four lockdown, the strictest lockdown level, for the next three days starting from 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, local time.
With this announcement, everyone in the country must stay home and businesses are closed aside for essential services such as supermarkets and pharmacies.
This first locally transmitted Covid-19 case in the community since February is from an unvaccinated 58-year-old man in Auckland.
“Delta has been called a gamechanger — and it is. It means we need to again go hard and early to stop the spread. We have seen what can happen elsewhere if we fail to get on top of it. We only get one chance.”– Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand
It’s not news for all of us that New Zealand has been praised and look up to by everyone in the world for its handling of the virus last year, closing its borders to almost all foreign nationals early, and imposing strict state-run quarantines on incoming travelers avoiding the devastating outbreaks seen in other countries.
This immediate and hard action from NZ government is just another proof of its proactive way of handling the pandemic. Ardern also highlighted that as they are one the last countries in the world to have the Delta variant, they are in the position to learn from experience overseas, and what actions work, and what actions don’t work.
New Zealand only has 26 deaths in a population of about 5 million due to Covid-19 and with this swift reaction to their first case, they are sure to have a better handle of the delta variant than any other country.
On Tuesday night, the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7) released its official, consolidated data of the COVID-19 cases in the region as of August 17, 2021.
Today, the whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and the Cebu Province — recorded 568 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 391 new recoveries, and 52 new deaths. This brings Cebu’s total confirmed cases to 81,472, while the active cases increased to 12,882 (from 12,750).
Breakdown of cases:
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 34,540 (+272 new) – Total recoveries: 29,194 (+83 new) – Total deaths: 1,072 (+17 new) – Active cases: 4,274
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 10,615 (+65 new) – Total recoveries: 8,687 (+136 new) – Total deaths: 271 (+7 new) – Active cases: 1,657
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 9,684 (+46 new) – Total recoveries: 7,628 (+28 new) – Total deaths: 286 (+7 new) – Active cases: 1,770
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 26,633 (+185 new) – Total recoveries: 20,206 (+144 new) – Total deaths: 1,246 (+21 new) – Active cases: 5,181
Summary of COVID-19 cases in Cebu:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 12,882 (from 12,750)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 81,472 (+568 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 65,715 (+391 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 2,875 (+52 new*)
A total of 3,439 laboratory results were released for today.
NOTES from DOH-7:
*As per DOH-7, the additional deaths in the report are not due to the overnight spike in deaths but due to more accurate data collection and validating efforts. Not all of those deaths occurred today but occurred more than a week ago.
Reports maybe subject to change as these claims undergo thorough validation by the local healthcare offices and health personnel.
The collapse of Afghanistan’s government shook the world as pictures of the Taliban terrorists taking over the presidential palace spread on the internet along with videos of a swarm of people running and panicking trying to leave the country in the Kabul airport.
Photo from Reuters
With this devastating news, the palace has released a statement that the Philippines is willing to accept refugees from Afghanistan and even cited a previous instance when the country was one of the few nations that unconditionally opened its doors to Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.
“Since time immemorial po, the Philippines has had jurisprudence even before the convention on refugees welcoming asylum seekers. Sabi nga po ng Korte Suprema, the Philippines will not hesitate to admit individuals fleeing their homelands because of fear of persecution” – Pres. Spokesman Harry Roque, August 17
The terrorist group, Taliban, has a long history of committing violence against innocent women and children. They kill political opponents and have defeated the Afghan government forces triggering panic and fear in the capital.
Photo from ReutersPhoto from ReutersPhoto from Reuters
Not only Philippines but many countries are now bracing for a mass influx of refugees fleeing the Taliban rule with at least 400,000 Afghans forced from their homes in 2021 according to the UN High Commission for Refugees.
It is now for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to comment on whether the Philippines will recognize and open diplomatic channels with Afghanistan.
“The Philippines continues to honor this humanitarian tradition in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol,” – President Rodrigo Duterte, United Nations (UN) General Assembly in September 2020
With everything that is going on, it is of utmost importance that we help each other out and remain humane in all our actions. Always remember, Humanity is our race and Love is our language.
This article was first seen on vismin.ph with few revisions from the Sugbo.ph editors.
A new COVID-19 variant, Lambda, has entered the Philippines. After the wide spread of the Delta variant in our country, we really don’t need another one but here it is.
The first Lambda case in the Philippines was a 35-year-old-female who tested positive in July but is now recovered.
Lambda, also known as “C.37”, is now all over the news after the World Health Organization (WHO) noted its rapid spread and detection in 29 countries including Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Now, the question is how do we differentiate Lambda to the Delta variant? Here is what we know so far.
VOC and VOI
VOC and VOI stand for Variant of Concern and Variant of Interest, respectively. This is a classification made by the WHO to classify covid-19 variants.
The Delta variant is classified as VOC whereas the Lambda variant is classified by WHO as VOI, a level below VOC, for now.
According to the WHO description, VOI are variants with genetic changes that are predicted or known to affect virus characteristics such as transmissibility, disease severity, immune escape, diagnostic or therapeutic escape.
In summary, Lambda have caused significant community transmission or multiple COVID-19 infection and has the potential for disease severity.
Less Infectious than Delta Variant
Comparing Lambda to the Delta variant in transmissibility, laboratory results shows that Lambda is less infectious than the hyper transmissible Delta variant but more infectious than the original covid-19 virus due to its unique new gene deletions and mutations.
Although, there is still no accurate way to know how lambda’s different genetic profile will affect community transmission, severity of symptoms or vaccine resistance around the world.
Different Studies suggestions
Lambda may be potentially resistant to current vaccines than the original coronavirus. (Laboratory studies from Japan and Chile)
Sinovac vaccine did not work as well as it did with the original virus when tested against Lambda. (Chile research)
Johnson and Johnson vaccine was less effective against Lambda and the Delta variant compared to the Pfizer and Moderna. (New York University research)
Note: These studies are not yet peer-reviewed
Just because vaccines appear less effective doesn’t mean they don’t work. Now that different variants are popping everywhere around the world, it is still a known fact that vaccines protect everyone against severe illness and stops deaths.
Cebu has plenty of great beach destinations within the island. With the many established beaches and even more getting discovered or developed, it’s hard to stand out. Despite this, here comes Sunset View Beach Home with a presence worth announcing!
Sunset View Beach Home is a beachfront resort in Daanbantayan. It belongs to the western edge of the peninsula along the line of resorts and beach accommodations. It’s a semi-undiscovered spot, meaning its presence is known but it isn’t currently a big name on the map.
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
The humble resort definitely deserves to be a big deal. Here’s why: a wide and spacious beachfront. We’re talking around 50 meters of smooth soft sand!
The Beach
During low tide, the water recedes into the sea and exposes an expanse of fine sand that stretches far from the actual coastline during high tide. The big space is thanks to the sand being almost level all throughout.
The sand itself is smooth and silky with only a few rocks here and there. In addition to that, there is around 200 meters of beach in front of the property, making it perfect for beach sports, activities, and even walks. The west coast of Daanbantayan is also extensive with a whopping 6 kilometers of sandy beachfront when linked together!
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo by Norz Cortes Ramo
Photo by Norz Cortes Ramo
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
While the beach in Sunset View Beach Home is a small part of the whole, you can certainly walk to the other parts starting at the resort. Local laws also dictate that no person can own land on the coast and in the sea, so you’re free to go through the beach.
Of course, let’s not forget the reason the resort got its name: the jaw-dropping sunsets of Daanbantayan! The resort has a clear view of the sought-after sunset from its premises every day. You’ll get to watch the sun set over the sea and even witness it dip below the horizon – a rare sight that’s almost never seen in the city.
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo by Norz Cortes Ramo
The Resort
Sunset View Beach Home welcomes guests to a humble abode. The accommodation is a modest bungalow with rooms available for stays. The rooms are simple, but they also come with all the necessities to make your stay comfortable.
Each room comes with its own kitchen, a private toilet and shower, and a cozy generously-sized bed. Rooms are also air-conditioned, giving you cozy shelter from the heat of the sun and the warm ocean breeze.
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Photo from Sunset View Beach Home Facebook Page
Just make sure to call ahead to time to secure your booking, and you’re all set to enjoy your vacation in the sandy shore of Daanbantayan!
On Monday night, the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7) released its official, consolidated data of the COVID-19 cases in the region as of August 16, 2021.
Today, the whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and the Cebu Province — recorded 713 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 520 new recoveries, and 82 new deaths. This brings Cebu’s total confirmed cases to 80,904, while the active cases increased to 12,750 (from 12,619).
Breakdown of cases:
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 34,268 (+200 new) – Total recoveries: 29,114 (+173 new) – Total deaths: 1,055 (+24 new) – Active cases: 4,099
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 10,550 (+115 new) – Total recoveries: 8,555 (+111 new) – Total deaths: 264 (+20 new) – Active cases: 1,731
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 9,638 (+47 new) – Total recoveries: 7,600 (+37 new) – Total deaths: 279 (+5 new) – Active cases: 1,759
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 26,448 (+351 new) – Total recoveries: 20,062 (+199 new) – Total deaths: 1,225 (+33 new) – Active cases: 5,161
Summary of COVID-19 cases in Cebu:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 12,750 (from 12,619)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 80,904 (+713 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 65,331 (+520 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 2,823 (+82 new*)
A total of 2,620 laboratory results were released for today.
NOTES from DOH-7:
*As per DOH-7, the additional deaths in the report are not due to the overnight spike in deaths but due to more accurate data collection and validating efforts. Not all of those deaths occurred today but occurred more than a week ago.
Reports maybe subject to change as these claims undergo thorough validation by the local healthcare offices and health personnel.
In recent months, our homes have become a multifunctional space that allow us to rest, do our work, exercise, and bond with our family. So who can blame us if we’re constantly looking for ways to transform it into a smart home? These days, you can just say “Alexa, turn on the TV” and voila, your TV comes to life! Thanks to smart gadgets, our home life can become so much easier and more convenient!
This Cyber Month, SM Supermalls is offering great deals on a dizzying array of handy gadgets, appliances and nifty tools at SM Cyberzone and leading tech stores to make our homes safer and smarter, and consequently, our downtime or work hours more enjoyable and productive.
James Deakin checks out (above left) Mi LED smart bulbs at the Mi Store, (above right) LG Twin Load Washer and (above center) LG Instaview Door in Door Ref at SM Appliance Center.
Just say it!
Amazon’s Alexa, Siri, or iOT voice assistants have various functions such as setting time and alarms, play media, and even smart home controls. You can connect your phone, smart home lights, air conditioners, and door locks to these voice assistants, and they will all work upon your command. For example, if you have Philips Hue LED Lights or Xiaomi Wi-Fi enabled LED Smart Bulb for smart lights, just say the word and your smart voice assistant can turn on the lights for you! Air feels too hot or too cold? Connect your Mitsubishi in Electric air conditioners with Mitsubishi Electric Wi-Fi Control and you can adjust the room temperature with a voice command! Forgot to lock up just when you’re about to sleep, smart door locks from Samsung, Yale, and Xiaomi can lock your doors remotely so keeping your home secure is easy!
For an enjoyable cooking experience
Cooking can be stressful especially if you’re either pressed for time or you’re in charge of preparing dishes for a special occasion. LG’s 24 cu. ft. Instaview Door-in-Door™ with Smart Wi-Fi, can make life easier because it comes with a sleek mirrored glass panel that illuminates with two quick knocks so you can easily view the ingredients that are available or missing, even without opening the doors. This also saves you from the time-consuming effort of searching through your fridge to create your grocery list. With the LG Smart ThinQä, you can also control your refrigerator even when you’re not at home.
Aside from the smart refrigerator, cooking can also be faster, easy-to-clean, and safer with less chance of getting burned or scalded with induction stoves like the Electrolux Induction Hob Electric Oven Free Standing Cooker. Once done with cooking, you can simply rinse your tools and utensils and pop them in the Whirlpool 60m Free-Standing Dishwasher, and leave them to dry.
For easy house chores
Even if we’re all staying at home, it’s important that our clothes are always clean. The LG Studio Styler can do just that, as it refreshes and sanitizes garments by reducing allergens for clothes, pillows, and more in minutes. Meanwhile, if you’re looking to save laundry time, the LG Twin Load is the way to go as it not only washes more laundry faster, but also has built-in dryer to dry clothes quickly.
Too tired to clean the house at the end of an exhausting day of zoom meetings? Get a robot vacuum cleaner that sweeps, has a mop function and vacuums the floor. You can connect it to your voice assistant device or set cleaning schedules directly on the robot vacuum. Talk about self-sufficiency – most robot vacuum cleaners are programmed to dock to the charging station when they’re about to run out of power!
LG BTU Dual Inverter Smart Air Conditioner, LG G1 Smart OLED TV, Kohler Digital Shower Control. All available at SM Appliance Center.
For maximizing your “me time”
Our bedroom is that one area in the house where we can truly relax, be ourselves, and de-stress from work. To make your room your own safe space, personalize it with smart devices. You can hook up your room appliances with your own voice assistant device, ask it to dim the lights, turn on the music and the smart air conditioner like the with Wi-Fi. Now, it’s really time to lie down and finally relax after a hard day’s work.
For bonding with family
Families who share everyday activities together form stronger emotional bonds. The perfect area to spend time together is the living area or the family room. Because we can’t go to the movie houses yet, why not set up a movie theatre at home? Get the best viewing experience with the LG G1 65-inch 4k Smart OLED TV, and complement it with the LG LHD657 Home Theater, 1,000 watts RMS, 5.1 Channel for the surround sound effect.
For a safer bathroom experience
Now more than ever, it’s practical and safe to “smartify” the bathroom. To lessen contact with surfaces and handles, you can start using smart water closets like Kohler intelligent toilet and cleansing seats with functions like flushing, cleansing, auto opening of cover that can be controlled using your smartphone. You can also opt to install smart shower systems like Kohler with Digital Shower Interface. Users can set their ideal water temperature, flow rate, shower duration, and so many more with the smart shower’s control display, smartphone app or voice command.
Thanks to the wide array of authentic tech options at SM, buying gadgets to make your life easier and stay wired should be a breeze. The best part? There are tons of great tech deals at SM this Cyber Month to help you get #InTheZone but gentle reminder to please follow the safety protocols to have a #SafeMallingAtSM experience.
If you are looking for #TechAssured gadgets to help, get you #InTheZone for this year’s Cyber Month, just head over to your nearest and trusted SM Mall and #CheckCyberzone or go to www.smcyberzone.com. For more information on guidelines and other activities, visit www.smsupermalls.com or follow @smsupermalls on all social media accounts.
