The Department of Health (DOH) will be working together with the Departments of Transportation and National Defense to expedite the delivery of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to health workers.
IATF Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said in his online briefing the DOH has bought the sets for Php 1.8 billion and will be distributed to public and private hospitals amid dwindling supplies for frontliners.
In the meantime, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Textile Research Institute has been initiating the production of half a million washable medical masks for health workers.
Meanwhile, the IATF has been preparing quarantine facilities down to the barangay level after naming the World Trade Center, Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, and Philippine International Convention Center among the facilities being eyed as isolation centers.
Based on order of priority, COVID-19 patients with moderate, severe, and critical symptoms are given utmost priority for isolation, while those with mild symptoms will be overseen in an isolated facility as well.
Persons under investigation (PUIs) who are awaiting test results will also be isolated in a facility with single room occupancy setups.
The task force has been continuously working on the setup for PUMs, particularly those who have had close contact with COVID-19 positive people, and have yet to undergo testing. – Report from Naomi Tiburcio
