PR
CALAMBA CITY, Laguna — The Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) team led the inspection of the Mega Quarantine Facility today in Calamba, together with the officials from the local government of Laguna, Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), and National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19.
Once finished with construction, the five-story Mega Quarantine Facility will benefit 553 patients and will be fully air-conditioned. Nurse stations and cubicles for patients will be located in the first four floors, while the fifth floor will be a designated mess hall and quarters for the frontliners with 97 beds. The facility was originally intended to be used as the Calabarzon Regional Government Center.
Operation of the said facility will be headed by the Department of Health (DOH). Now 80% complete, it is expected to open September of this year, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Rising number of COVID-19 cases in Laguna
Due to the rising number of cases of COVID-19 in the Tecnho Hubs, Export Processing Zones, and private offices in Laguna, Governor Ramil Hernandez initiated a meeting with the IATF.
“Nung nag open and economy natin, 60-70% ng ating active cases ay galing talaga diyan sa mga companies. Kaagad nagkaroon ng joint meeting ang national, regional, and provincial task force with the city government kung anong approach ang gagawin diyan [When our economy opened, 60-70% of active cases were really from the companies there. Immediately, the national, regional, and provincial task force had a joint meeting with the city government on what appoach to take],” Gov. Hernandez said.
According to NTF Against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon, the Mega Quarantine Facility is a priority project of the government because of the rising cases of COVID-19 in the area.
“Alam nyo, mga wala pang isang buwan, nandito kaming lahat dahil priority talaga natin, isa sa mga priorities natin ang Laguna dahil sa tumataas na kaso dito noong nakaraang buwan. Kaya isa ito sa mga interventions na tinutulong ng national government para sa probinsya ng Laguna [You know, we were all here less than a month ago because this is our priority, Laguna is one of our priorities because of the increasing number of cases here last month. This is one of the national government’s interventions for the province of Laguna], Dizon said.
Sec. Dizon also thanked the local government of Laguna for their initiative to convert the existing facility.
“Nagpapasalamat po tayong muli sa leadership ni Governor Ramil and Mayor Timmy, at dahil sa pagtutulungan ng national government at ng City of Calamba at province of Laguna, ay magkakaroon tayo ng isang napakalaking quarantine facility para sa Calabarzon. I think, to date, mas malaki ito sa Nayong Pilipino. Kasi ang Nayong Pilipino nasa 525 beds lang, ito total of 650 beds—97 will be for healthcare workers, 553 for the positive mild and asymptomatic patients [We are thankful for the leadership of Governor Ramil and Mayor Timmy, and with the help of the national government and the City of Calamba and province of Laguna, we now have a huge quarantine facility for Calabarzon. I think, to date, this is bigger than the Nayong Pilipino. Because Nayong Pilipino has 525 beds, while this one has a total of 650 beds—97 will be for healthcare workers, 553 for the positive mild and asymptomatic patients],” Dizon added.
Moreover, Gov. Hernandez said that the local government modified the implementation of the Workplace Safety Measures that was released by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). An Executive Order was issued to totally ban smoking and serving of food in the company canteens, after discovering that these were among the main reasons for the spread of the virus in the workplace as reported by the DOH, DTI, and DOLE.
According to NTF Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Sec. Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., the proximity of the facility to the business sector of Laguna is in accordance to the National Action Plan (NAP) Phase Two’s aim to strike a balance between upholding health while gradually reopening the economy.
“Itong Laguna is a major economic hub, and based doon sa ating mga analytics ay mataas po ang economic risk nito. And considering that ang ating National Action Plan Number 2 is really planning to have a striking balance between health and economy [Laguna is a major economic hub, and based on our analytics, the economic risk is high. And our National Action Plan Number 2 is really planning to have a striking balance between health and economy],” Sec. Galvez said.
Continuous Health Capacity Building
Meanwhile, Sec. Duque stressed that building facilities like the Mega Quarantine Facility in Calamba, Laguna is part of the government’s efforts to advance the health capacity of the country, especially now that the National Capital Region (NCR) is implementing the General Community Quarantine (GCQ).
“Bumalik na po tayo sa GCQ. Ang ibig sabihin po ay ang contact rate ng mga tao ay tataas dahil maraming lalabas. Ika nga, ang possibility of transmission mas mataas. Alam na natin yan kaya naman and tugon dito, continuous healthcare capacity build-up [We reverted back to GCQ. That means, our contact rate is higher because more people are going out. So, the possibility of transmission is higher. We already know this and our respond to this is continuous healthcare capacity build-up],” he said.
Sec. Duque also added that under the One Hospital Command initiative, patients suffering from severe cases of COVID-19 are treated with Remdesevir, an anti-viral medicine that helps with the recovery of the patients.
“Handa naman po ang mga hospitals natin under One Hospital Command na tugunan itong severe to critical (cases). In fact, kasali diyan ang pagbibigay ng Remdesevir. Ito po ay anti-viral medication na nakakatulong na mapa-igsi ang recovery period by about 30%, from about 15-10 days [Our hospitals are ready to treat severe to critical (cases) under the One Hospital Command. In fact, the use of Remdesevir is also included. This is an anti-viral medication that helps shorten the recovery period by about 30%, from about 15-10 days],” he said.
