The local government of Davao City has asked for the utilization of COVID-19 mobile vaccination programs in critical and high risk areas in the city amid an increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
“We asked those who are conducting mobile vaccination programs, projects na mag-focus sila dito sa mga critical risk barangays at sa high risk barangays sa kanilang mobile vaccination,” city mayor Sara Duterte said in a radio interview.
The mayor also asked their residents to avoid preferring certain vaccine brands over the others once they have a confirmed vaccination schedule.
The city government is set to issue an executive order mandating the COVID-19 vaccination of all government employees. Duterte said unvaccinated job order and contractual employees by year-end will not have their contracts renewed.
“It’s already cleared by the City Legal Office and we are set to release it anytime. Sa plantilla (permanent) it will be a case. According to the City Legal Office, it will be a case of insubordination,” Duterte said.
COVID-19 cases up
The Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), a major COVID-19 referral hospital in Mindanao, remains under critical level in terms of occupancy.
Data show that the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) and COVID-19 ward utilization reach full occupancy in some days. On Sept. 3, all 92 ICU beds and 475 ward beds of the facility were occupied.
The ICU occupancy declined to 92.39% on Sept. 5, while its ward occupancy slightly decreased to 98.79%. The numbers remain under critical level, similar to the case of other hospitals in the Davao region.
The region reported its record-high new COVID-19 cases at 1,123 with a positivity rate of 24% on Sept. 5. Davao City has the highest number of active cases at 6,712.
Duterte said they have prepared a mass grave in Tagakpan public cemetery that can accommodate 960 cadavers in case the situation worsens. – Report from Hanna Salcedo (PTV Davao)/AG-rir
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