Wednesday, 26 August 2020 14:41

Northern Mindanao marks 1,184 COVID-19 cases

As of August 25, Tuesday, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Northern Mindanao has reached 1,184.

Out of the total positive cases, 842 came from Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) or Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs).

Positive cases in Cagayan de Oro City alone have reached 262 (actual count), wherein 204 came from the LSIs/ROFs.

Figures from CDO also indicated 84 people on quarantine, 166 recoveries, 9 deaths, and 3 currently admitted at Northern Mindanao Medical Center, the region's designated COVID-19 referral hub.

Records from the Feasibility Analysis of Syndromic Surveillance using Spatio-Temporal Epidemiological Modeler (FASSSTER Philippines) have indicated that the case doubling time for CDO is at 16.53 days with 19.8% Critical Care Utilization Rate (CCUR) for the period of August 11 to 19, 2020.

FASSSTER Philippines is an evidence-based forecast of possible cases and scenarios on the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has placed the entire Region 10 under the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) status.

The MGCQ status is the transition phase between GCQ and New Normal when the following temporary measures are relaxed and become less necessary: (1) limiting movement and transportation, (2) the regulation of operating industries, and (3) the presence of uniformed personnel to enforce community quarantine protocols.

#NagkahiusaBatokCOVID19 #CDOCOVID19Response #iCanDOit #HealAsOne #COVIDI19PH

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About 87 families in Purok 4B in Barangay Gusa will be placed under focused containment/localized quarantine after one of its residents tested positive for COVID-19, city health officials confirmed Monday noon (Aug. 24).

“Based on our survey of the area, this (won´t be as problematic in securing compared to other sites) and we designated the quarantine control checkpoints based on the recommendation of the City Health Office (CHO) early this morning. Food aid will also be delivered to each of the households later this afternoon,” said Nic Jabagat, acting chief of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department (CDRRMD) during Monday noon´s press briefing.

The COVID-19 positive case who resides in the area is a 28-year-old male employee of a major company which made it mandatory for their employees in Cagayan de Oro City and the rest of the country to undergo tests. City Health Office (CHO) resident epidemiologist Dr. Teodulfo Joselito Retuya said the employee underwent swab sample on Aug. 18 after experiencing mild symptoms and the test came out positive two days later.

“It would strain the city´s resources if company employees would be quarantined in the city´s isolation units so we ask these major private companies to set up their own isolation facility to house their employees,” Mayor Oscar Moreno said. As per usual procedure, Mayor Moreno said he will seek concurrence from the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) on issuing the executive order to place Purok 4B under localized containment.

The 19th City Council already issued standing authorization to Mayor Moreno to place any area in Cagayan de Oro City under localized containment upon the CHO´s recommendation.

“The barangay health personnel stationed at the quarantine area control checkpoints were issued thermal guns to conduct temperature checks on the residents in the area,” Dr. Retuya said.

 

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Wednesday, 26 August 2020 14:02

CdeO City Hall finding ways to fund programs

Despite the financial constraints caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, Cagayan de Oro City Hall through its City Finance Office is finding ways to generate revenues for the city´s services and COVID-19 response programs.

“Di ta maulaw kolekta og buwis kay makita man sa katawhan asa padulong og unsa atong gihimo sa ilang kuarta. Mao na akong dagkong pasalamat sa City Finance Office kay ang buwis mao ni life blood sa City Hall aron mapundo ang atong proyekto og serbisyo sa katawhan (Let´s not be embarrassed about collecting taxes because the people see for themselves where and how we at City Hall use their taxes. That´s why I´m profusely thankful to the City Finance Office because taxes are the lifeblood of City Hall to fund the projects and services to our people),” Acting City Administrator Teddy Sabuga-a said during Monday morning´s (Aug. 24) flag raising ceremony hosted by the City Finance Office.

Sabuga-a also said City Hall´s efforts under Mayor Oscar Moreno´s administration in implementing both its COVID-19 response programs while not sacrificing its services and projects to the city didn´t go unnoticed. He said Mayor Moreno was invited to share the city´s COVID-19 response programs on last Saturday´s (Aug. 22) broadcast of Iligan Pulse, a news and media website at Facebook.

At the same time, Sabuga-a said city residents should not begrudge City Hall´s assistance in housing the arrivals of its neighboring local governments in Misamis Oriental and Iligan City because doing so is in keeping with the spirit of Republic Act 11469 or the “Bayanihan To Heal As One Act.”

“Ang tabang sa siyudad sa Cagayan de Oro sa ilang silingan sa Misamis Oriental og Iligan City mao ni ang tinuod nga tumong sa Bayanihan To Heal As One Act. Ingon ni Mayor Moreno wa tay political boundaries kay bisan maayo dagan sa ato kon ang atong silingan apektado, di madugay apektado ta (Cagayan de Oro City´s assistance to its neighbors in Misamis Oriental and Iligan City is in keeping with the true spirit of the Bayanihan To Heal As One Act. Mayor Moreno said there is no political boundaries in the pandemic because no matter how well we manage the city´s situation here, if our neighbors are affected soon we will also be affected),” Sabuga-a said.

Sabuga-a echoed Mayor Moreno´s explanation that the city government must do what it can to protect Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), the region´s designated COVID-19 referral hospital, from being overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases from the city or any part of northern Mindanao.

“Kinahanglan nato tabangan atong mga silingan. Naa fifth class municipality sa Misamis Oriental nga di natukod kaugalingong isolation units og makapalit ilang personal protective equipment (PPE) (We need to help our neighbors as much as we can. There are fifth class municipalities in Misamis Oriental that were unable to set their own isolation units or buy their own personal protective equipment),” Sabuga-a said

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Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno called anew on local governments in northern Mindanao to help each other in containing the rise in local COVID-19 cases after voicing alarm over the steady increase in local COVID0-19 cases in Iligan City.

“If there’s one lesson I learned and which all of us leaders in Northern Mindanao should accept is that we cannot afford to be parochial. While we prioritize our own, we must not isolate ourselves from the rest of the region since whatever happens to our neighbors will also impact heavily on us,” Mayor Moreno said during Saturday noon’s (Aug.22) press briefing.

In its Facebook page, the Iligan City Information Office disclosed that the city government’s emergency operations center health cluster recorded 119 local COVID-19 cases as of Aug. 21 or more than the 64 COVID-19 cases involving locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs). ‘Right now we are helping Iligan City by housing a number of their arrivals at our city isolation units,’ Mayor Moreno said.

Mayor Moreno also voiced concern over the 20 local COVID-19 cases recorded in Misamis Oriental as of Aug. 20, saying he hopes the province won’t experience a surge in local transmission similar to Iligan City.

City Hall’s resident epidemiologist Dr. Teodulfo Joselito Retuya and City Health Officer Dr. Lorraine Nery both confirmed that arrivals as well as COVID-19 cases from Misamis Oriental were housed in city isolation units and the city’s temporary treatment management facility (TTMF) respectively.

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Mayor Oscar Moreno gave anew his vote of confidence on City Hall´s resident epidemiologist Dr. Teodulfo Joselito Retuya along with the City Health Office (CHO) and the Emergency Operations Cluster (EOC) concerning the city´s contact tracing efforts Saturday noon (Aug. 22).

“I respect (Baguio City) Mayor (Benjamin) Magalong for his achievements (and his designation as the country´s contact tracing czar). He must not be aware of our contact tracing efforts (and COVID-19 strategies) especially on how we handle our returning Kagay-anons. But I trust my epidemiologist,” Mayor Moreno said in reference to Dr. Retuya during Saturday noon´s press briefing.

During his visit to Iligan City, Mayor Magalong said Cagayan de Oro City´s contact tracing ratio of four to eight persons per COVID-19 patient is lower than the national standard of 36 contacts per COVID-19 case. As of Aug. 21 about 194 of the 239 cases are returning Kagay-anons classified as either locally stranded individuals (LSIs) or returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) or about 81 percent.

Also as of Aug. 21, Cagayan de Oro City registered 45 local cases of whom seven are active, nine are dead and 27 have recovered or about 18 percent. In an interview, Dr. Retuya said there are no studies establishing a ratio or fixed number required for tracing persons with exposure/contact to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases.

“I have not read any books and studies or to that effect that there’s a standard ratio in contact tracing,” Dr. Retuya said. Dr. Retuya said they identify and narrow down the list of close contacts of COVID-19 cases based on their risk assessment which is whether they exhibit moderate to high risk symptoms.

All returning Kagay-anons arriving by air, land or sea are moved straight to the city´s isolation units to ensure they have zero contact with their families and communities, Dr. Retuya said. Since February, a citywide network of barangay health workers, community development volunteers and barangay nutrition was mobilized to conduct active barangay level health surveillance on suspected COVID-19 cases.

Dr. Retuya also said they are not closing their minds on Magalong’s ideas on how to improve contact tracing.

“As I said, during an epidemic or pandemic, there is no shortage nor monopoly of good ideas and suggestions,” he said.

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In a memo released on August 25, Tuesday, the Center for Health Development - Northern Mindanao of the Department of Health (DOH-CHDNM), medical professionals are directed to be on Code White in time for city fiesta, from August 27 to 29.

The alert status has been issued in observance of the “Feast of Saint Augustine” in Cagayan de Oro on August 28, Friday, to respond to “untoward incidents and eventualities.”

During the Code White alert, the DOH-CDHNM Response Teams and Committees will be on standby or on-call mode to report to the office immediately in case of any medical emergency.

The said memo was issued by OIC Director Adriano P. Suba-an and directed to all DOH-CHDNM personnel, including the development management officers, human resources for health, contract service personnel, DOH-retained hospitals, medical health centers, and other heath agencies.

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#NagkahiusaBatokCOVID19 #CDOCOVID19Response #iCanDOit #HealAsOne #COVIDI19PH

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As of August 24, Monday, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Northern Mindanao has reached 1,139.

Out of the total positive cases, 831 came from Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) or Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs).

Positive cases in Cagayan de Oro City alone have reached 255 (actual count), wherein 203 came from the LSIs/ROFs.

Figures from CDO also indicated 83 people on quarantine, 161 recoveries, 9 deaths, and 2 currently admitted at Northern Mindanao Medical Center, the region's designated COVID-19 referral hub.

Records from the Feasibility Analysis of Syndromic Surveillance using Spatio-Temporal Epidemiological Modeler (FASSSTER Philippines) have indicated that the case doubling time for CDO is at 16.53 days with 19.8% Critical Care Utilization Rate (CCUR) for the period of August 11 to 9, 2020.

FASSSTER Philippines is an evidence-based forecast of possible cases and scenarios on the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has placed the entire Region 10 under the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) status.

The MGCQ status is the transition phase between GCQ and New Normal when the following temporary measures are relaxed and become less necessary: (1) limiting movement and transportation, (2) the regulation of operating industries, and (3) the presence of uniformed personnel to enforce community quarantine protocols.

#NagkahiusaBatokCOVID19 #CDOCOVID19Response #iCanDOit #HealAsOne #COVIDI19PH

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In protecting public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government should also find ways to allow workers and business owners to earn an income or livelihood, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno said Monday noon (Aug. 17).

“That´s why there is a calibrated or gradual opening of the economy. We at City Hall realize that the more openings you make, the more risks you take...but how long can we survive (without opening the economy?) That´s why we have to find ways (to ensure public compliance to) minimum health safety standards/non-pharmaceutical interventions,” Mayor Moreno said during Monday noon´s press briefing.

Mayor Moreno said this in response to last Saturday´s incident involving a sports apparel store inside a mall that drew a large crowd after it sponsored an 80 percent discount promo sale on its sports shoes. City Hall´s Regulatory Compliance Board (RCB) had to immediately intervene and stop the sale with assistance from the city police.

Both Mayor Moreno and RCB chairman Jose Edgardo Uy said the store and mall managements quickly complied and suspended the promo sale that day. “I issued a permit to the store owners reminding them to strictly comply and enforce minimum health safety protocols like physical distancing, wearing of face masks and hand sanitation among others,” Mayor Moreno said.

The problem arose when the store owner declared an 80 percent discount shoe sale that caused shoppers to crowd inside the store in violation of physical distancing rules.

“It was a good thing that the store owner and mall management didn´t resist in suspending the sale because the security personnel were unable to control the crowd, making it necessary for the police to step in,” Uy said during Monday morning´s press briefing.

Uy said store owners are required to submit their plan on compliance to minimum health safety protocols including crowd control in order to ensure physical distancing among shoppers. “The mall incident should serve as a reminder and a lesson for store owners to comply with health protocols (and avoid mass infection),” Uy said.

“How do we not compromise on public health (without sacrificing the right and need of workers and business owners to earn an income/livelihood?), that´s the dilemma faced by government in this pandemic and it´s a difficult balancing act for them. Since there is a pandemic, business owners in cooperation with government should find ways to make sales while avoiding overcrowding (to protect their customers),” Mayor Moreno said.

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About five high pressure oxygen humidifiers acquired by Cagayan de Oro City Hall are scheduled for delivery this week for turnover to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), the City Health Insurance Office (CHIO) said Tuesday morning (Aug. 18).

“The high pressure oxygen humidifiers are ideal for using on COVID-19 patients with early mild symptoms and it will allow NMMC to reserve their mechanical ventilators for use on critical COVID-19 cases. That way, NMMC´s critical care utilization rate (CCUR) (or health care capacity won´t exceed critical levels),” CHIO chief Dr. William Bernardo said during Tuesday morning´s press briefing.

City Hall´s acquisition of the high pressure oxygen humidifiers are on top of two reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machines and two automated extractor machines it acquired and lent to NMMC, the designated COVID-19 referral hospital in northern Mindanao.

Mayor Oscar Moreno previously announced City Hall´s acquisition of the humidifiers in Monday noon´s (Aug. 17) press briefing, saying the city´s allocation of these medical equipment will not only benefit Cagayan de Oro City but its neighbors in Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon provinces as well as local governments in Region 10.

“These humidifiers along with their accessories are preventive (and it will augment NMMC´s capacity). By helping the NMMC we are helping not only ourselves but everyone else in northern Mindanao since the NMMC (is doing the heavy lifting as far as handling) COVID-19 cases in Region 10 is concerned,” Mayor Moreno said.

Both Mayor Moreno and Dr. Bernardo reiterated that all medical equipment lent by Cagayan de Oro City to both NMMC and the Department of Health (DOH-10) are a ´sound investment´ for the city since it will benefit everyone in northern Mindanao and can be used beyond COVID-19.

“City Hall´s acquisition of this equipment is in keeping with the national government mandate to use public resources wisely and to benefit as many people as possible. We do this by ensuring that such use of public resources is cost efficient and cost effective. By doing this we live up to the bayanihan spirit not only by word but by deed,” Dr. Bernardo said.

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“Very inspiring” was how the chief implementor of the national government´s Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) described Cagayan de Oro City Hall´s management of its active COVID-19 cases Wednesday morning (Aug. 19).

“Ako po nagagalak (Cagayan de Oro City) Mayor (Oscar) Moreno dahil nakikita namin na tinutulungan ninyo ang Iligan City. Yan po talaga ang gusto namin na magkaroon ng inspiration, ng bayanihan kasi dapat lang tayo magtulungan, na kung may kailangan ang kapitbahay ay dapat tulungan natin (I am glad Mayor Moreno because we saw that you are helping Iligan City. That´s what we want to see, the inspiration, the bayanihan spirit because we should help each other. If a neighbor is in need, we help them),” IATF chief implementor Carlito Galvez Jr said during Wednesday morning´s (Aug. 19) press briefing.

Galvez referred to Mayor Moreno´s standing offer to help Iligan City house its arrivals, an offer Mayor Moreno also extended to the city´s neighboring local governments in Misamis Oriental. Galvez noted how well City Hall handled its COVID-19 cases including its returning Kagay-anons whom he said constitute majority of the positive cases in the city.

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) chief Martin Andanar gave recognition to City Hall´s preemptive COVID-19 response measures such as the Regulatory Compliance Board (RCB´s) move to prevent overcrowding inside a sports apparel store inside a mall last Saturday.

Andanar also welcomed the 19th City Council´s passage of an anti-discrimination ordinance in light of the ongoing discrimination against recovered patients. In response, Mayor Moreno also lauded the IATF for providing the guidelines to local governments like Cagayan de Oro City in implementing their respective quarantines.

Mayor Moreno also explained why he made the offer to house Iligan City´s arrivals despite the concerns raised by some quarters. ´I was worried over the spike in local COVID-19 cases there. Like I keep saying, all of us in northern Mindanao are in the same boat together. What affects your neighbor affects us all,´ Mayor Moreno said.

Mayor Moreno also explained his administration´s decision to accept returning Kagay-anons back to the city rather than ask for a moratorium on arrivals, saying he doesn´t want to unduly burden the National Capital Region (NCR), which contributes two thirds of the nation´s economy.

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