COVID-19 UPDATES. The Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid-19 in Tarlac said that as of 10 a.m. Tuesday (March 31, 2020) there are nine confirmed cases of the new coronavirus disease in the province. Governor Susan Yap said they will soon have their own facility needed to test Covid-19 infection. (Courtesy of Tarlac Province Anti Covid-19 Task Force)
TARLAC CITY, Tarlac — This province will soon have its own testing facility needed for detecting new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases.
Governor Susan Yap said on Tuesday said the testing facility is expected to be completed in two weeks and be functional as soon as it passes the inspection of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“We are currently constructing a testing facility and we have already sent a letter to the DOH and FDA regarding it,” Yap said in a statement.
To assure safety in the soon-to-rise testing facility, the governor said that she is in close coordination with medical technologists.
“Covid-19 is a dangerous disease that is why I am talking to our medical technologists regarding the handling and positioning of machines in the space provided in which we can ensure faster yet safer way to test,” she said.
Yap likewise assured that the province has the equipment needed for the testing facility.
Meanwhile, the provincial government has started to deploy rolling stores selling fresh vegetables and other essentials in the towns of San Clemente, Anao, Ramos and Pura to limit the number of people going to public markets.
Yap said the rolling stores will also have a mini "botika" (drug store) selling medicines and other items such as milk and canned goods.
“This will ensure that our people will get their essential needs without going to the markets,” she said. “Strict social and physical distancing is being implemented during the visit of the rolling stores,” she added.
Provincial agriculturist Alicia Cruz said agricultural cooperatives were tapped to supply the vegetables and other products for the rolling stores.
Meanwhile, the Covid-19 Essential Food Group of the provincial government is handing over free vegetable seeds, fresh eggs, alcohol and face masks to residents.
Based on the report of the Tarlac’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid-19, as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, there are nine confirmed coronavirus cases in the province.
Fourteen patients under investigation (PUIs) died, including two non-Tarlac residents.
Also, there are 91 PUIs with severe symptoms of whom 43 turned out negative for Covid-19, while 272 PUIs are with mild symptoms.
On the other hand, there are 17,365 persons under monitoring (PUMs) in the entire province. (PNA)
