PAMPANGA Governor Dennis Pineda said Tuesday, April 6, that the Provincial Government launched a program providing free RT-PCR test for the elderly with symptoms of Covid-19, as it urged Kapampangans to regularly look after the health of their senior citizens in their households.

Pineda’s announcement came after latest figures from the Provincial Health Office indicate that majority of the Covid-19 mortalities in Pampanga are senior citizens.

“If we look at the deaths in the province, it is because our senior citizens usually do not seek immediate treatment despite having symptoms. We usually take their symptoms for granted. Sadly, in a matter of five days, a person may die. In a matter of three days, he or she may already experience difficulty of breathing. Sometimes, upon arrival at the hospital, their oxygen level is already very low,” Pineda said.

“Immediately report to your barangay captains or barangay health workers if your parents have fever, cough, colds or other symptoms of Covid-19 so that they may be scheduled for swab testing. We [Provincial Government] will shoulder the expense of the test. All I ask is that you pay attention to the elderly,” he added.

In case they tested positive, Pineda said the Province will take care of their hospitalization and medication in government hospitals, in order to prevent their symptoms and conditions from getting worse.

With these scenarios, the governor said that no matter how good the doctors in the province are, it will already be difficult to treat the patients.

“Our aim is to reduce mortalities and be able to prevent or at least manage the cases well. However, we can only do so if you cooperate with us in terms of early detection through immediate reporting of probable, suspect, and confirmed cases,” he said.

Meanwhile, for those who opt for private hospitals, Pineda reminded them to make sure that they already have an attending physician who will give them initial medications so that they can be immediately accommodated.

“At the earliest onset of symptoms, report them immediately so that we can avert the worsening of their conditions. This is what we need now,” he said.

The Capitol extended the implementation of stricter quarantine protocols in the light of increasing Covid-19 cases in the province. (JTD/With PIA-Central Luzon)