By Pearl Gumapos
The Pangasinan Provincial Health Office (PHO) urged its coastal town residents in the province to be vigilant against foreign fishing vessels docking in their areas following the possible entry of the Delta variant into the country.
Seaways are much wider than roads, giving ships more options to dock and make it easier to transmit the Delta variant to locals, PHO Chief Dr. Anna Maria de Guzman said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday.
Usually, provincial coastal towns receive foreign vessels from other provinces and said vessels dock along Pangasinan coastlines to replenish supplies.
“Kailangan po silang masuri sa mga sintomas ng COVID-19 tulad ng pag-ubo, sipon, at sakit sa katawan,” de Guzman said.
One overseas Filipino worker (OFW) was reportedly directly exposed to a patient positive with the Delta variant.
While the local tested negative, said resident is still being observed by health authorities.
Meanwhile, de Guzman advised the public to continue observing health protocols.
De Guzman also urged the public to get vaccinated regardless of the brand, especially if the residents belong to priority groups, in order to increase their chances against the coronavirus disease. -rir