HEADS UP: COVID-19 Vaccines Have Arrived (March 1)

Here's a Heads Up from Reportr.World on news that you need to know today, March 1:

ALL ABOUT VACCINES:

• President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday received the country's first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines, some 600,000 doses of Sinovac jabs from China. 
• The President said he would like to fly to China by the end of his term to personally thank Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the vaccine donations.
• Here's what to expect on Day 1 of the Philippines' vaccine rollout.
• Here's a list of cities in Metro Manila with COVID-19 pre-registration. Find out how you can schedule yours.
• Take it from the experts, side effects are common for all vaccines and shouldn't be a cause for alarm. Here's what we know so far about what happened to people who got COVID jabs.
• Take it too, from Britain's Queen Elizabeth: Getting a COVID vaccine is quick and painless.

NEWS YOU CAN USE:

• Finally, there's a single set of protocols for local travel. Travel authority documents are no more. However, test requirements will be up to the destination local government.
• Duterte has revised the 2021 Holiday Calendar to ensure maximum productivity as the economy recovers from the pandemic. For 2021, the following are Special Working Holidays: All Soul's Day, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
• Metro Manila remains under GCQ through March along with Apayao, Baguio City, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Batangas, Tacloban City, Iligan City, Davao City and Lanao del Sur. The rest of the country is under MGCQ.
• Money Explained: Here's your guide to applying for your first credit card.
• How do you thrive during the pandemic? The CEO of Global Payments has this advice: reply promptly to emails. Returning messages promptly makes up for the lack of face-to-face interaction.
• Here's your guide to being a tourist in Intramuros under the new normal.
• Filipinos living in the U.S. should be extra careful, the Philippine Embassy said in the wake of violence against Asians, including a Filipino war veteran who died after he was knelt on in the neck by police. The incident brought to mind the late Black Lives Matter catalyst George Floyd.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• For a woman fleeing the shootout between Quezon City police and PDEA agents last week, donut is life. Her plea to secure her snack has gone viral.
• Legitimate children can take their mother's surname if they choose to, the Supreme Court said in a decision that demolishes patriarchal norms.
• Bloomberg ranked countries in terms of the best and worst handling of COVID-19. The Philippines placed 32nd out of 53.
• Call him Potato Head, no more "Mr." Toymaker Hasbro is making its popular spud toy gender neutral.
• Lady Gaga's French Bulldogs, Koji and Gustav, were returned unharmed. The two pooches were snatched, prompting Mother Monster to offer a $500,000 reward.
• Only in Japan: Robot pets are helping people there battle the loneliness of quarantine. It's the pandemic Tamagotchi.