By NG Seruela
The Department of Health (DOH) called on local government units (LGUs) to intensify their active case finding, testing, and tracing amid the Delta variant threat.
In the Laging Handa public briefing on Tuesday (July 27), DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said the “aggressive” case finding, testing, contact tracing, and isolation are the proven solutions to halt the increase of the COVID-19 cases.
“So, talagang iyong ating aggressive active case finding, iyong atin talagang aggressive testing, community testing, ang ating contact tracing…And aggressive isolation [ay] talagang ito pa rin ang napatunayan na solusyon para maibsan ang patuloy na pagtaas ng mga kaso, dahil nga dapat bantayan natin, we have to keep closely monitoring the situation,” he said.
The Health chief said the 47% increase in the number of cases in NCR must be a “wake-up call” for the LGUs.
“Tama naman ang OCTA diyan, dahil dito sa NCR tumaas tayo nang mga 47% itong linggong ito compared doon sa nakaraang linggo. Kaya dapat ito’y wakeup call sa ating mga pamahalaang lokal na talagang intensify, paigtingin, palawigin ang lahat po ng ating mga tukoy na istratehiya na napatunayan naman na natin na naging epektibo noong unang surge natin noong nakaraang taon – July to August, nagkaroon tayo ng surge. Eh wala tayong bakuna noon,” he asserted.
In relation to this, Duque also reminded LGUs to choose safer and more protected vaccination areas for the public as the rainy season is expected to bring floods and other diseases to the country.
“So, kinakailangan din bigyang paalala ang ating mga LGUs na nagpapatupad ng ating vaccination activities na pumili ng mga lugar na kung saan ligtas at protektado naman ang ating mga mamamayan mula sa baha. Dahil ang baha, ang banta naman dito, leptospirosis at marami pang ibang sakit na mga infectious diseases – cholera, typhoid, hepatitis,” he said.
He called on the city health officers to coordinate with the DOH Center for Health Development-NCR for needed medicine.
“Nanawagan din ako sa ating mga city health officers na makipag-ugnayan sa atin pong DOH Center for Health Development-NCR, na kung kinakailangan ng karagdagang gamot, doxycycline, laban din naman sa leptospirosis, ay mangyari lang po na magpadala sila kaagad ng komunikasyon para matugunan po ito sa lalong madaling panahon,” he said. – jlo
