A new nationwide survey is seeking to gauge how the Filipino American community feels about COVID-19 vaccinations. The project is being launched by the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO), through its Tayo project, the group announced in a recent release. The MAGPABAKUNA na Tayo (“Measuring and Gathering data on Pilipino/a/x American Behaviors, Attitudes, and Knowledge…
WHEN the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month unveiled updated COVID-19 guidelines that relaxed masking recommendations, some people no doubt sighed in relief and thought it was about time. People have become increasingly comfortable being out shopping, attending live events, or meeting up with friends at restaurants. And many are ready to cast…
Need to get rapid tested for COVID-19? There are several ways Los Angeles County residents can receive a free at-home COVID-19 test. The LA County program is designed to increase and facilitate access to COVID-19 tests for LA County residents unable to obtain appointments. Residents can pick up a PCR test kit, perform the test and return…
Filipino American doctor and businesswoman Jona Jane Tajonera lost her older sister Gina to COVID-19 in April 2020. Back then, coronavirus was well on its way to wreak havoc in New York City and make it the epicenter of the pandemic’s first wave. Tajonera felt helpless. As a public health advocate (she holds both a…
CALIFORNIA Attorney General Rob Bonta issued an alert warning Californians to beware of fake COVID-19 testing locations and websites. With an increased demand for COVID-19 testing due to the recent spike in cases, scammers are exploiting vulnerable individuals looking to determine whether they have the COVID-19 virus. These unverified sites pose as legitimate companies and healthcare clinics…
THE Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the…
IT’S no doubt that the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebration is the most highly anticipated holiday season in recent history. The coronavirus pandemic upended the last holiday season, which largely consisted of Zoom parties, limited in-person gatherings, and generally truncated celebrations governed by the safety protocols at the time. But amid the beginnings of…
CDC places county in its ‘high transmission’ category Los Angeles County, last year the region with one of the most deadly winter COVID-19 outbreaks, may once again experience another coronavirus surge this winter season, county public health officials said on Thursday, Dec. 9. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the…
PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo Duterte has personally thanked United States President Joe Biden for America’s COVID-19 vaccine donations. The chief executive was able to express his gratitude during a high-level discussion at the virtual 9th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-U.S. Summit held Tuesday, October 26. “Your Majesty, Excellencies, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought complicated challenges…
THE City of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 6 signed off on a mandate that requires proof of the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone entering most public spaces. The measure — which applies to anyone going to bars, restaurants, shopping malls, salons, gyms, museums, and sporting events, among other spaces — is one of the nation’s strictest…
A FILIPINA American physician in Las Vegas, who has been transformed into a Barbie doll for her frontline work during the COVID-19 pandemic, is inspiring others that they can “make a difference” regardless of their background. Dr. Audrey Sue Cruz, a frontline worker who joined forces with other Asian American physicians to fight racial bias…
More businesses requiring patrons to provide proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test ONCE again, Los Angeles County finds itself in hot water as the COVID-19 Delta variant continues to spread across the county, forcing officials, business owners and community leaders to institute stricter measures to mitigate the spread. As of Monday, Aug. 2, COVID-19-related…
CDC updates mask guidance, requires masks indoors regardless of vaccination status AS the United States continues to contend with the nationwide COVID-19 surge brought on by the Delta variant, government and health care officials are ramping up efforts to curb the spread through new mandates that encourage vaccination and social distancing. On Monday, July 26,…
By Elisabeth Rosenthal / Kaiser Health News The drugmaker Pfizer recently announced that vaccinated people are likely to need a booster shot to be effectively protected against new variants of COVID-19 and that the company would apply for Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization for the shot. Top government health officials immediately and emphatically…
LOS Angeles County is observing a “rapid rise” in COVID-19 transmission with cases doubling over the last 10 days, according to the county Department of Public Health. As of Thursday, July 22, the county recorded 2,767 new cases of COVID-19, resulting to an 80% increase. This latest update is the highest number of cases since…
Officials detail a ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’ as cases surge across the country WEEKS after counties and cities across the country began reopening public life and slackening social distancing mandates, public health officials are reporting dramatic surges in positivity rates, hospitalizations and deaths, putting into sharper focus the dire situation in areas of low vaccination…
SEPTEMBER is just weeks away and children are going back to school in person soon, even earlier in California where most schools begin in August. Yet, the coronavirus pandemic continues to haunt us through the more infectious Delta variant, which is now the cause of more than 83% of new cases in the United States,…
AS more Americans receive COVID vaccinations, debatable philosophies surrounding mask-wearing continue to generate confusion over whether vaccinated people should continue to wear face coverings in public. Public recommendations on mask mandates have varied throughout the pandemic, and in California alone, the rules vary among schools and public spaces at a time when multiple viral variants…
Church leaders discuss safely reopening for in-person worship With our community at much higher risk from the COVID-19 virus, Filipino faith leaders like me recently gathered for an online roundtable entitled “Vaccinating in Good Faith: Filipino Families & Frontline Workers” to hear from medical experts and to honor our many essential healthcare workers, while we…
FACING an impending recall election, California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed to the State Legislature on Monday, June 22 a plan to forgive unpaid rent that accumulated during the economically tumultuous COVID-19 pandemic that put financial strains on the most populous state’s most vulnerable communities. The plan is to use the $5.2 billion in federal pandemic…
THE Philippines will get more COVID-19 vaccines from the United States following the announcement of the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden pledging 80 million of its surplus vaccine doses to various countries. According to the U.S. Embassy in Manila, the Philippines will be “among priority countries” receiving U.S.-donated vaccines. “The Biden-Harris administration has announced…
A LIFETIME AGO! That is how 16 months feel since the coronavirus pandemic disrupted and turned our lives upside down. This is especially true for California — home to the greatest number of Filipinos outside of the Philippines. Just when former President Donald Trump was still in the state of denial about the threat of…
WITH the grand reopening day of California less than a week away, Californians may start to feel that life is back-to-normal after more than a year of coronavirus-related lockdowns and restrictions. After 15 months of public health restrictions and wavering instructions from officials, the state-mandated COVID-19 guidelines will come to an end on Tuesday, June…
THE United States has announced that it will donate 7 million of its surplus COVID-19 vaccine doses to the Philippines and other Asian countries. In an effort to end the pandemic globally, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden said 80 million vaccine doses will be distributed to various countries by the end of June…
CALIFORNIANS could win up to $1.5 million in a new effort to get more residents vaccinated leading up to the state’s reopening on June 15. Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday, May 27 launched the “Vax for the Win” incentive program with a $116.5 million price tag — which will include $100 million in $50 prepaid…
IN less than three weeks, Los Angeles County is set to revert to pre-pandemic life. The county plans to lift capacity limits and physical distancing at most settings, like restaurants and retail stores, on June 15. The region will also follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the state that…
A Message Brought to You by Los Angeles County By Dr. Eloisa Gonzales, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Q: Maaari ko bang kunin ang bakuna ng Pfizer para sa unang dosis (dose) at Moderna para sa pangalawang dosis, o ang kabaligtaran nito? A: Hindi. Kinakailangan mong kunin ang magkaparehong tipo ng bakuna para…
CLARK County is poised to return to pre-pandemic life on June 1 after the county commission voted to lift the local COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings and capacity limits. The move comes after the relaxation of federal and state guidelines on account of the nationwide distribution of the vaccines. “Clark County will delete in its…
CA, LA County begin accepting vaccination appointments for kids in this age group THE U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday, May 10 announced that it amended its emergency use authorization for the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine to include teens between the ages of 12 and 15, clearing the way for the 17 million people…
AFTER months of getting delayed, an initial batch of 193,050 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine doses arrived in the Philippines this week. The shipment of Pfizer’s jabs supplied by the World Health Organization-led COVAX Facility landed before 9 p.m. on Monday, May 10 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 in Pasay City. Among the key…
