Dr. Rogelio Aturdido Jr., chief of the South Cotabato Integrated Provincial Health Office.
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – South Cotabato province is now considered a “special concern area” for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the wake of the increasing cases of local transmission.
Dr. Rogelio Aturdido Jr., head of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO), said Friday the assessment came as the province, with 137 infections, posted one of the highest surges in Covid-19 cases in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) in the past week.
“This means that we are now a high-risk area when it comes to Covid-19,” Aturdido said in a press conference.
He said a total of 34 positive cases were confirmed from August 29 to September 3 or “in just six days” based on confirmatory reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results.
Aturdido said 20 of them had no history of travel and were considered as locally acquired or transmitted, with nine coming from Surallah town, seven from Polomolok, three from Koronadal City, and one from Banga.
The provincial government earlier confirmed cases of Covid-19 local transmission in several villages in Surallah and Polomolok.
He said seven cases had travel history to areas with a high incidence of the disease, specifically Mandaluyong City, Pasay City, Manila, Lanao del Sur, and this city.
Aturdido said the remaining seven had exposure to nearby areas with reported local transmission, including the city fish port complex here.
In the past two days, seven fish traders and suppliers who had visited the fish port have tested positive for Covid-19 in RT-PCR tests.
He said the city and municipal health offices in the province were monitoring several fish vendors who had exposure to the fish port complex, which is now considered as a “hotspot” for Covid-19.
Some of them have turned out reactive to rapid antibody testing and will be subjected to RT-PCR tests, Aturdido said, adding that contact-tracing and containment activities were ongoing for all confirmed cases through the disease surveillance personnel, barangay health emergency response teams, and data captured by the province’s application-based Contact-Tracing System.
South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. assured that the provincial government remains on top of the situation and is continually making adjustments to contain the spread of the disease.
Through the city and municipal governments, he said localized and granular lockdowns were implemented these past days in the affected areas, especially in Koronadal City, Surallah, Polomolok, and Tantangan.
The municipal government of Tupi shut down its public market on Thursday after two of its fish vendors came out positive of Covid-19, he said. (PNA)
