COVID-19 PROTOCOLS. Negros Oriental Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion and Capitol Public Information Officer Bimbo Miraflor at a press conference on Wednesday (March 11, 2020) said the provincial government is adopting more strategies to combat the possible transmission of novel coronavirus disease. As of the latest count, Negros Oriental has four patients under investigation and 13 persons under monitoring. (Photo by Judy Flores Partlow)
DUMAGUETE CITY – Provincial government officials and health authorities in Negros Oriental are strengthening measures against the new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of a nationwide state of a public health emergency.
Dr. Liland Estaction, assistant Provincial Health Officer in a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday morning said that as of Tuesday night the province has recorded four patients under investigation (PUIs) and 13 persons under monitoring (PUMs).
The four PUIs include a 62-year-old male who had traveled to Metro Manila and visited Greenhills in San Juan, where a Covid-19 patient had reportedly visited; a female overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who returned from Hong Kong; and a couple who had a history of travel from Japan.
Except for the elderly male who is now under intensive care and in isolation at a private hospital here for severe upper respiratory disease, the other three PUIs have been ordered to stay home for the mandatory quarantine period of 14 days.
Estacion explained that based on guidance from the Department of Health (DOH) in Region 7, persons suspected of having Covid-19 but with mild symptoms can stay at home and undertake self-quarantine to be visited daily by doctors assigned to them.
Three of the four PUIs are in this capital city while the female OFW is at her home in a town in northern Negros Oriental, Estacion said.
The four of them, all Filipinos, arrived here on separate dates early this month but manifested symptoms just recently, the doctor said.
Estacion said the elderly man arrived on March 1 but was brought to the hospital on March 3 while the couple arrived on March 7 and their quarantine period ends March 21. The OFW arrived on March 9 and will be under home quarantine until March 23.
In the event any of the three PUIs who are under home quarantine will test positive of the virus, they will be transferred to the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital or a hospital of their choice, said Bimbo Miraflor, Public Information Officer.
Throat swab samples have already been taken from the four suspected Covid-19 cases and sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Miraflor added.
PUMs are also quarantined at home with medical workers monitoring them using the DOH assessment tool, Miraflor said.
He also said that they initiated a third classification in the monitoring of suspected Covid-19 cases on top of PUIs and PUMs as part of the strengthening of protocols and measures in the province.
This is the person under observation or PUO classification, which is for all locals who might manifest symptoms associated with the Covid-19, Miraflor said.
The provincial government has also identified a potential holding area for suspected or positive Covid-19 cases in the event of an “outbreak” here as the three private hospitals and the provincial hospital may not be able to handle all cases at one time, Miraflor said.
The area being considered is the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office facility in Amlan, a town about half an hour’s drive north of this capital.
It has buildings that can be turned into “isolation” areas, and the province is prepared to deploy health workers there, properly equipped with personal protective equipment.
The Capitol still has to work out some details with the mayor of Amlan for a worst-case scenario, which they hope would not happen, Estacion said.
In a related development, Gov. Roel Degamo on Wednesday issued Executive Order No. 16 prohibiting the convergence of people in public events and gatherings within the jurisdiction of Negros Oriental amid the Covid-19 scare.
Degamo cited the DOH’s recommendations such as avoiding large gatherings and even the cancellation of such events “to minimize the risk of contracting the Covid-19”.
Miraflor, who read the governor’s executive order, said that only small gatherings with 20 to 100 attendees are allowed.
However, some concerns were raised such as church activities especially during the Holy Week, graduation ceremonies, and similar gatherings.
Miraflor said it is up to the different churches to determine what is appropriate for their flock, while the Department of Education can decide where public schools are concerned.
As for private schools, it is up to the school administration to take the necessary precautions in addressing the Covid-19 threat, he said.
Estacion, who returned from Cebu on Tuesday following a meeting with DOH-7 officials, said another meeting is scheduled this week with municipal and city health officers and other health workers to discuss additional measures to further strengthen the province’s protocols on Covid-19.
She said that unfortunately, there are no available Covid-19 testing kits from DOH, thus, they have to rely on RITM for the testing of suspected cases. (PNA)
