Up to 1,095 market personnel and stall owners at Pasay City public market underwent swab testing from March 11 to 16, of which 12 tested positive for COVID-19.
The Pasay City LGU said the positive individuals were immediately isolated.
The market is disinfected three times a day to ensure the safety of consumers.
According to the sellers, the sales are weak and they feel that the buyers have no money.
One vendor added that they were strict in following health protocols due to the threat that the local government would shut them down.
“Kami dito may social distancing, pag sinabi ng gobyerno, ginagawa namin kasi pag di namin pinatupad yan pinapasara ang aming tindahan,” says alias “Auring,” a vendor in the marketplace.
According to the latest records of the Pasay City LGU, the number of active cases has reached 877 after recording 97 new cases.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health recorded 5,290 new coronavirus disease infections this Thursday, causing a jump to a total of 640,948.
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COVID-19 updates as of March 18
Today recorded the highest number of “active cases” (66,567) or those still recovering, beginning September 18, 2020. It has reached 181 days after that time.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, up to 240,297 have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Most of those injected so far have been given CoronaVac with 167,798 doses compared to 72,499 of Astrazeneca.
FDA director-general Eric Domingo added that 7,469 adverse events have been recorded following such immunizations.
Although one healthcare worker died after being injected with Sinovac’s CoronaVac, it was not directly related to the vaccine because the deceased has COVID-19. Because of that, the government will continue its immunization efforts against the virus, according to Dr. Beverly Ho, Director IV of the DOH Health Promotion Bureau and Disease Prevention and Control Bureau.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said earlier that the National Task Force against COVID-19 supported the provision of the Sinovac vaccine to senior citizens, even though the FDA had earlier said it was “not recommended” to those in their 60s. “Too many countries use Sinovac for senior citizens,” President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman said.