Gov’t carries out measures to curb Davao City’s COVID-19 infections
The government has sent a 25-person medical team to Davao City to help President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s home city address the rising coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections, said National Task Force Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr.
Reporting
to President Duterte during a Cabinet meeting about government’s response on
COVID-19, Galvez said the reinforcement team comprising six doctors, six nurses, and 13 nursing
staff will assist the already “overwhelmed” staff of the Southern Philippines
Medical Center (SPMC) battling a surge in COVID-19 infections.
Davao
City has seen a 68-percent increase in infection rate in recent days and the
task force promised Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to help the city arrest the
spiking number of coronavirus cases, Galvez said.
Galvez
also reported that the task force had previously sent medical equipment and
medicine to SPMC to manage severe COVID-19 cases.
“Sa
ngayon po, medyo nag-i-stabilize ang Davao. At nagpadala na rin po tayo ng mga
tinatawag po natin na high-flow nasal cannula at nagpadala rin po tayo ng mga
Avigan --- na mga compassionate drug para po makatulong po sa mga severe cases
po natin,” he told the President, adding the task force visited Davao City
twice last week to assess the situation.
The
reinforcement team, which assisted Cebu City curb the surge in coronavirus
cases, was also deployed to Davao City to improve its COVID-19 referral and
emergency operation systems, said Galvez.
“So iyon
po ang ginawa po natin... Nagpunta po kami ng ano noong last week at saka noong
last Monday and Tuesday po doon. At ‘yung buong team po ng Cebu, dinala po
natin po doon sa Davao para tumulong din po,” he said.
Inter-Agency
Task Force Chief Implementer for Visayas, retired Major General Melquiades
Feliciano and his team, as well as Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega are also
in Davao City, according to Galvez.
Undersecretary
Vega set up One Hospital Command and reorganized Davao City’s referral system
for its civilian hospitals and SPMC. Health authorities also increased the bed
capacity of civilian hospitals by 20 percent, he added.
SPMC has
recorded 29 new coronavirus infections on Monday, October 30, bringing the
total number of cases in Davao City to 4,518.
The city has 298 active cases, 3,942 recoveries, and 270 deaths. PND
