Capitol reminds Kapampangans to be proactive vs Covid-19

PAMPANGA. Governor Dennis Pineda. (File photo)
PAMPANGA. Governor Dennis Pineda. (File photo)

THE Provincial Government of Pampanga reminded Kapampangans to be proactive in battling the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) as mortalities continue to increase.

Governor Dennis Pineda said most of the deaths in the province are senior citizens.

He said one of the reasons for the continuous increase is the public, especially the elderly, do not immediately go to the hospital even if have symptoms.

“Oftentimes, Kapampangans seek consultation when their conditions are already worse. Sometimes, an elderly is brought to the hospital when his or her oxygen level is already below 80. In cases like this, no matter how good our doctors are, they will have a hard time treating patients,” Pineda said.

With this, the governor urged the public to be more attentive of their conditions, and of the elderly in their households.

“Admittedly, we are late in paying attention to the elderly members of our households. There is nothing that the government can do if you yourself do not pay attention. We cannot do house-to-house. We are waiting for you to come out to get tested or seek treatment. We will not know if you are sick unless you tell us,” he said.

Pineda also said that the Provincial Government allotted 10,000 RT-PCR test kits for its program of free swab testing for senior citizens with symptoms, but many of the kits have not yet been used.

With this, he encouraged the public to inform their barangays in case they manifest Covid-19 symptoms, with the primary goal of reducing mortalities.

“Just tell your barangay captains or barangay health workers. They will take you to your designated swabbing centers for free. In case you tested positive, we will take care of your hospitalization and provide you with free medicines,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Government announced the launching of its Home Care Service Program in order to save the lives of Kapampangans while they are awaiting admission to private hospitals.

The Province also extended its stricter protocols against Covid-19 until May 15.

“I hope you understand why we [local government units] need to do this. We are all aware of what is happening in India. We do not want that to happen to us. We do not want our cases to get out of hand. That is why as your leaders, we are always leaning towards the safe side by implementing strict protocols,” Pineda said.

He said he also talked to mayors with call centers in their towns and cities to ensure strict protocols as call centers are among companies with rising cases.

“Since the nature of their work requires that they talk, we want to ensure that health protocols are strictly enforced to avoid transmission in the workplace. We also discourage employees in a company to eat together because this is one way where the virus is easily transmitted,” he said.

The governor said these initiatives are meant to reduce critical and high-risk bed capacities in the province by reducing the number of people infected with the disease.

“If the upward trend of cases continues, our healthcare system will be compromised. People will die outside hospitals. That is what we are trying to prevent. What we want is to see a steady decline in both cases and deaths in the province,” he said.

As of April 2021, an average of 100 persons per day is tested positive in the province, with deaths averaging six to seven per day.

In terms of bed capacity, regular beds have reached high risk at 76 percent, while Intensive Care Unit beds are at critical risk with 95 percent capacity. (PIA)

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