DESPITE the confirmed local transmission of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the country, health officials assured that Davao Region remains free from the disease.
Department of Health (DOH)-Davao Director Dr. Annabelle Yumang, in a press conference Monday, March 9, allayed the fears of the Dabawenyos amid misinformation circulating that there is a confirmed case in the region.
"We have no confirmed case of Covid-19 in Davao, just a patient under investigation awaiting results from RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine)," Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) chief Dr. Leopoldo Vega said.
But she pointed out that there is no room for complacency.
"DOH-Davao ramps up its local preparedness, closely coordinates with the right authorities to intensify surveillance especially at the region's points of entry and calls the public to be calm but vigilant," Yumang said.
As of March 9, the SPMC confirmed that only one patient under investigation (PUI) was left in its isolation facility after manifesting symptoms similar to those with Covid-19.
The patient arrived at the hospital on Saturday, March 7, after the PUI was referred to them by a private hospital.
Yumang said that as of March 9, DOH-Davao has recorded a total of 24 PUIs admitted in the two state-run hospitals in the regional -- SPMC in Davao City and Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in Tagum City. All the patients were cleared from the virus.
"We should be clear that there is a risk that people might be incubating the virus, so we isolate and monitor them to protect the rest of the public. That is why PUIs are being admitted and stringent precautions are being taken," she added.
She, meanwhile, reiterated their call to the public to avoid crowded places. They highly encourage the public to practice proper hygiene by frequently washing their hands with soap and water, proper coughing and sneezing etiquette, and proper disposal of used tissue.
With the circulation of false information online, the public is advised to refrain from sharing unofficial information that may cause unnecessary panic to the public. She assured that their office will release a regular updates to the public through their official accounts.
In preparation for any eventualities, Yumang added that DOH-Davao is looking for an area that will serve as a quarantine facility in case their existing isolation facility will be filled.
Meanwhile, Vega said the hospital will soon be able to conduct its testing for the samples of PUIs. The result will be real-time instead of submitting it to Manila.
SPMC is equipped with a machine called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which is used to detect very early infection. But they are just waiting for a few more things to be able to operate it.
They have sent medical technologists to be trained at the National Reference Laboratories. They are also waiting for the reagents from abroad to be able to start testing.
SPMC will cater to all the samples from different areas in Mindanao since it is now considered as a subnational laboratory by the RITM.