KING CHARLES III CROWNED IN ANCIENT RITE; BRITISH MONARCHY FACES UNCERTAIN FUTURE »A2
BRITAIN’S King Charles III is crowned with St. Edward’s Crown by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London, May 6, 2023. AARON CHOWN/POOL PHOTO VIA AP
BRITAIN’S King Charles III receives the St. Edward’s Crown during his coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey, in London, Saturday, May 6, 2023. ANDREW MATTHEWS/POOL VIA AP
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WHO downgrades Covid-19 pandemic, says it’s no longer a global emergency
DOH to convene IATF following WHO’s Covid downgrade
By Maria Cheng & Jamey Keaten
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The Associated Press
ENEVA—The World Health Organization said Friday that Covid-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide. The announcement, made more than three years after WHO declared the coronavirus an international crisis, offers some relief, if not an ending, to a pandemic that stirred fear and suspicion, handwringing and finger-pointing across the globe. The UN health agency’s officials said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasn’t finished, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast
By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco
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Asia and the Middle East. WHO says thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week, and millions of others are suffering from debilitating, long-term effects. “It’s with great hope that I declare Covid-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO DirectorGeneral Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “That does not mean Covid-19 Continued on A2
Team Philippines sweeps the gold and silver medals in obstacle race at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Saturday. Celebrating on the podium are (top, from left) Kaizen Dela Cerna (silver), Precious Cabuya (gold), Mark Julius Rodelas (gold) and Kevin Jeffrey Pascua (silver) with Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino (barong tagalog) and Pilipinas Obstacle Sports Federation President Atty. Alberto Agra. ROY DOMINGO
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PHL BETS SWEEP SEA GAMES OBSTACLE RACING
he Department of Health (DOH) will convene the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to discuss and reassess policies after the World Health Organization (WHO) lifted the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on Covid-19. “This is an acknowledgment of our effective and collaborative Covid-19 response and concerted efforts to fully recover and reopen our economy,” the DOH said in a statement late Friday night. In the same statement, the DOH further guarantees the Filipino people that all factors in determining their next action would be in line with the WHO’s proclamation. Whatever will be considered and discussed by the IATF will be approved by the President, the DOH also said. In a recent press conference, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Covid-19 has been so much more than a “health crisis” for it disrupted economies, travel, shattering businesses and “plunging millions into poverty.” Ghebreyesus noted that for over a year, the pandemic has been on a “downward” trend. It may be noted that on January 30, 2020, WHO announced the emergency declaration. The DOH reported that the total number of Covid -19 cases in the country is 4,099,088. Of this number, the total number of recoveries is revealed to be 4,023,485, while deaths are reported as 66,444. To date, there remain 9,159 active cases, while there are 1,563 new cases reported as of May 5, 2023.
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 55.2010 n JAPAN 0.4112 n UK 69.4097 n HK 7.0343 n CHINA 7.9853 n SINGAPORE 41.5702 n AUSTRALIA 36.9405 n EU 60.8039 n KOREA 0.0418 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.7191 Source: BSP (May 5, 2023)