FREE VITAMINS. Personnel from Taguig City health office visit the houses to distribute vitamins and medicines in Sitio Bayani in Western Bicutan on Saturday (March 21, 2020). City health office chief, Dr. Norena Osana said the house-to-house distribution of vitamins and medicines was made due to enhanced community quarantine imposed in Luzon to contain coronavirus disease. (Photo courtesy Christopher Lloyd T. Caliwan)
MANILA – Taguig has started distributing vitamins and medicines amid the efforts of the city government to protect its residents from the deadly coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Taguig City Health Office head, Dr. Norena Osano said the city government will deliver the vitamins and medicines to every residence as ordered by Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano due to the one-month enhanced community quarantine imposed in the entire Luzon.
“Isang buong buwan ang ibababa namin sa mga pasyente but they are instructed to take this medicine regularly at mino-monitor namin sila (The medicines we will distribute for patients are good for one month (and) they are instructed to take these medicines regularly and we are monitoring them)," she said during distribution of vitamins and medicines in Sitio Bayani in Western Bicutan on Saturday.
Aside from vitamins and medicines for diabetes, hypertension, and tuberculosis, Osana said contraceptives will also distributed to the city residents.
“We regularly check if they have supply because we don't want the number of pregnant (women) to increase in two to three months,” Osana said. "It will be delivered to their homes. This is for their own protection.”
She said over 1,000 pregnant women are under monitoring by the City Health Office in Western Bicutan.
Residents welcomed the city government’s move amid the rising number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country.
“Malaking tulong po ito para makaiwas tayo sa kumakalat na virus. Sana po hindi tayo mahawan pare-pareho (This is a great help in preventing the spread of the virus, hopefully none of us will be infected by Covid-19),” said Sheena Arab, a city resident.
"Maraming salamat po kay Mayor Lino Cayetano dahil yung mga doctor ay nakarating po sa bahay namin at na checkup po kami, thank you po doc, hindi po kami makapunta sa center pero sila po ang pumunta dito. (Thank you so much to Mayor Lino Cayetano because the doctors came to our house for pre-natal checkup, we could not visit the health center but they came here),” Maria Lyn Gulong, a seven-month pregnant woman, said.
The Department of Health on Saturday reported 77 new cases of Covid-19, bringing to 307 the total number in the Philippines.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire also reported that coronavirus death toll in the country increased to 19 as of March 21. (PNA)
