Not a single evacuee tested positive for COVID-19 so far, the Department of Health said on Wednesday.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire made the announcement given that the government has made available antigen COVID-19 test for evacuees with COVID-19 symptoms, among other medical and mental health assistance due to their displacement following a series of typhoons amid a pandemic.
Vergeire said those showing symptoms for possible COVID-19 infection will be given priority.
“Wala pa po sa ating mga evacuees ang nagpositibo sa COVID-19.
“Makakaasa po kayo na patuloy naming imo-monitor ang ating evacuees at sisiguraduhin natin na ooberserbahan nila ang minimum health standards habang sila [ay] displaced,” Vergeire said in an online forum.
“Priority po natin [sa testing] iyong may sintomas. Kung may nararamdaman po ang ating mga kababayan sa evacuation centers, puwede po kayo pumunta sa mga health and safety officers sa evacuation centers para kayo ay mabigyan ng lunas,” Vergeire said.
Other assistance
Aside from testing, Vergeire said the DOH already deployed Health Emergency Response Teams in typhoon-affected areas for COVID-19 surveillance, as well as medical, sanitation and mental/psychosocial support for evacuees.
“We have also provided supplementary ready to eat food as well as medicines such as ferrous sulfate and calcium carbonate,” Vergeire added.
Vergeire said that based on Department of Social Welfare and Development records, the number of evacuees as of November 18 is at 55,921 families or 223,378 individuals staying in 1,570 evacuation centers in Regions 2, 3, 4A, 5 and National Capital Region.
Vergeire also said not all the displaced residents staying in the evacuation centers will be tested for COVID-19 but those with symptoms will be prioritized.
“Hindi naman po natin sinasabi na mate-test lahat. Ang pinakaimportante ay matest natin ‘yung mga may sintomas sa loob ng evacuation center. Ito po ‘yung ating priority sa ngayon,” Vergeire said in a television interview.
Acknowledging the risk of COVID-19 transmission in evacuation centers, the health official said safety officers should be deployed to monitor symptoms among evacuees so suspected cases would be isolated immediately.
“Hindi naman po natin maikakaila na there’s really a risk of this increased transmission kung saka-sakali because of the situation,” Vergeire said.
“Kaya nga po tayo ay nagpapatupad na dapat lahat ng evacuation centers ay merong safety officers para nade-detect natin agad kung sino ang may sintomas at matanggal natin doon sa kabuuan para hindi po sila makapanghawa,” she added.
Earlier, the OCTA Research Team called on authorities to provide COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and isolation facilities to families who fled to evacuation centers due to the recent typhoons.
On Tuesday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said evacuees will be screened for COVID-19 through antigen test to prevent the spread of the virus in typhoon-hit communities.
However, Roque also noted that there is no assurance that all will be tested.
New COVID-19 cases
Meanwhile, the Philippines logged on Wednesday 1,383 new cases bringing the total to 412,097, as 17 labs failed to submit reports, the DOH said.
“17 labs were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Data Repository System (CDRS) on November 17, 2020,” said the DOH Case Bulletin #249.
The DOH also reported that there are 29,474 active cases, which is 7.2 percent of the total cases.
Of the active cases, 83.8 percent are mild; 8.3 percent are asymptomatic; 4.9 percent are critical; 2.7 percent are severe; and 0.22 percent are moderate.
Top provinces and cities with new cases are Cavite, 81; Laguna, 74; Batangas, 71; Quezon City, 69; and Rizal, 67.
The DOH also reported that there are 143 persons who newly recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 374,666, which is 90.9 percent of the total cases.
The DOH also reported 95 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 7,957, which is 1.93 percent of the total cases.
The DOH also said 4 duplicates were removed from the total case count. Of these, 2 were recovered cases.
Moreover, 18 cases previously tagged as recovered were reclassified as deaths.
The DOH also said, nationwide, of the approximately 1,900 total ICU bed capacity, 47 percent are available; of the approximately 13,500 total isolation bed capacity, 59 percent are available; of the approximately 5,900 total ward bed capacity, 70 are available; and of the approximately 2,000 total units of ventilators, 78 percent are available.
‘Microscopic’ 1 percent
Over at the Senate, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said the “biggest factory defect” of the Palace-proposed 2021 national budget is “the microscopic 1 percent share of health” in the infrastructure and capital outlays pie.
“In the midst of the pandemic, when the deficiencies of hospitals and the health system have been exposed, how can this be overlooked by all the President’s men?” Recto said.
Recto’s interpellation of the general principles of the 2021 budget elicited admission that the P11.4 billion earmarked for equipment and buildings of the DOH next year account for only 1 percent of the proposed P1.1 trillion capital outlays for the entire government.
“This is counter-intuitive. Bad science meets bad politics. Why put a crisis to waste? Countries are doubling spending for health. But ours, when it comes to new facilities for 2021, is flat,” he said.
Recto said COVID-19 subjected the country’s health system to a stress test. “Parang isinailalim sa MRI at ang resulta ay hindi maganda,” he said.
This should have prompted the government to ramp up health spending, “not just to confront an ongoing health crisis, but also to lay the ground for a health system that is in a better position to respond to future pandemics and the medical needs of a growing population.”
Recto said “conventional wisdom led us to expect a pandemic bump in the health budget for new equipment and buildings, but no such thing happened. Walang booster shot.”
Expanded employment security bill
Meanwhile, Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid has filed a bill that seeks to provide expanded employment security for workers whose function or designation may have considerable exposure to COVID-19.
Senate Bill 1910 mandates that employers should provide a workplace free from serious hazards; a work area that is comfortable and that which maximizes the productivity of the employees.
Under the said bill, an employee whose work exposes him to threats of COVID-19 may inform his or her employer of any health concerns that he or she might have regarding resuming or continuing employment.
The employer, on the other hand, must act upon it immediately by installing additional safety equipment, adjusting the work environment, adopting an appropriate work schedule, or finding alternative suitable employment for the said employee.
The said measure meanwhile proposes that if the employer fails to act upon the concerns brought about by the employee or if the employee is unsatisfied with the response of his or her employer then he/she can raise the issue before the Regional Office of the Department of Labor and Employment.
The Regional Director will examine the report sent by the concerned employee, taking into consideration the facts presented in the report and /or reply, the applicable standards for occupational health and safety, the nature of the occupation, and the attendant risks of exposure to the COVID-19 disease.
If the Regional Director or the BLR finds that the employer failed to provide an adequate response to the health concern raised by the employee, the latter may terminate his or her employment and shall be eligible for unemployment benefits.
However, an employer may not be held liable for any injury that resulted from an employee contracting COVID-19, except when the employer violates the laws related to workplace safety.”©