DOH sends more COVID-19 vaccines to Taal evacuation centers
MANILA, Philippines — More COVID-19 vaccines will be allocated to towns affected by Taal Volcano’s unrest to give additional protection to residents who fled their homes, the Department of Health said Monday.
Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes after Taal Volcano in Batangas ejected steam and magma last week.
“The allocation of vaccines will be increased. We are hoping that by vaccinating individuals and also monitoring them through antigen kits and symptomatic monitoring, we’ll be able to prevent further infections in evacuation centers,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing.
Dr. Voltaire Guadalupe, who heads Calabarzon’s health disaster risk reduction and management, said those who are eligible for vaccination will be inoculated.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, the public information office of Batangas province said five local governments in Metro Manila donated COVID-19 vaccine doses. These were the cities of Taguig, Quezon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, and Manila.
More test kits
The government also distributed antigen test kits to evacuation centers.
“The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has provided more than enough test kits for the current evacuees,” Guadalupe said.
Some 3,430 individuals, or 925 families, were being housed in 95 evacuation centers in Batangas and Laguna, he said.
Vergeire urged local authorities to place families in separate tents or rooms, if possible, and set up sanitation areas where people can wash their hands. The health official also reminded evacuees to wear face masks at all times.
State volcanologists raised Alert Level 3 over Taal Volcano after a short-lived phreatomagmatic eruption occurred on June 29. Phivolcs said “magma extruding from the main crater could drive explosive eruption.”
Get updates as Phivolcs issues warnings over activity in Taal Volcano. (Main photo by Philstar.com/Rosette Adel)
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issues a notice reporting an increased and continuous degassing activity from Taal Volcano.
In its 6 p.m. advisory, Phivolcs says the sulfur dioxide emission from the main crater reached 9762 tonnes per day. This was the higher recorded this year.
Phivolcs adds that there was no smog or vog observed. — Rosette Adel
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology says Taal Volcano is still under Alert Level 1.
In an update on Wednesday, its says that the daily sulfur dioxide emissions (SO2) reached 2887 tonnes / day (06 October 2023).
Phivolcs also observes upwelling of hot volcanic fluids in the Main Crater Lake. — Rosette Adel
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reports that Taal Volcano's daily sulfur dioxide emissions (SO2) reached 2887 tonnes.
It observes upwelling of hot volcanic fluids in the Main Crater Lake as well as volcanic smog or vog.
The volcano's emissions are also 2400 meters tall. — Rosette Adel
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology releases time-lapse snapshots of degassing activity from the Taal Main Crater and volcanic smog or vog formation on Sunday.
These were taken from 5:45 a.m. to 11:42 a.m. by the Mt. Macolot, Cuenca, Batangas station (VTCU) IP Camera.
LOOK: Time-lapse snapshots of degassing activity from the Taal Main Crater and volcanic smog or vog formation taken from 05:45 AM to 11:42 AM today, 8 October 2023 by the Mt. Macolot, Cuenca, Batangas station (VTCU) IP Camera. pic.twitter.com/jp48R1IZQy
— PHIVOLCS-DOST (@phivolcs_dost) October 8, 2023
— Rosette Adel
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology records daily sulfur dioxide emissions that reached 2730 tonnes / day (22 September 2023).
It also observes upwelling of hot volcanic fluids in the Main Crater Lake and observed VOG.
Phivolcs adds that there is a ong-term deflation of the Taal Caldera; short-term inflation of the northern flanks of the Taal Volcano Island.
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