BETWEEN the middle of February to April, active Covid-19 cases in Davao City remained low compared to what it was around the fourth quarter of 2020 and January 2021.
The lower number of cases meant that our hospitals and health care workers were able to take a much-needed breather. Private hospitals stopped accepting Covid-19 patients because Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) can handle the current number of active cases then.
During this time, it allowed the city government to put in place measures that will prevent another surge and address it should it happen.
In Davao City, Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio issued several executive orders strengthening and expanding its contact tracing and testing capabilities. Executive Order (EO) No. 18 allowed the city to test those with influenza-like illness (ILI) and surveillance swabbing in high-risk areas like business and commercial establishments, public places, and government offices. Under EO No. 20, the city expanded the mandatory swab testing of all close contacts, including the second and third-generation contacts of confirmed Covid-19 patients.
The city was also able to start with its Covid-19 vaccination among health workers and senior citizens.
Sadly, it seemed that the city was not able to sustain its recent success. This month, it can be observed that Covid-19 cases have begun to increase again. The only good news, for now, is that there are no new variant cases in the city yet.
“Our active cases, it is increasing. Three digits ta pirmi sa atoang positive cases. Clearly, makita nato increasing atong cases diri sa Davao (We have been logging three-digit positive cases. We can clearly see the cases in Davao City are increasing),” Duterte-Carpio said on Monday afternoon, May 24, in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
DOH-Davao Director Dr. Annabelle Yumang said the primary sources of infection are gatherings, hospital exposure, and workplaces. The cause for people to be infected? Increasing complacency when it comes to following minimum health protocols.
She said based on the reports they received, it was observed that physical distancing is not followed especially during mealtime in offices and establishments, when the number of participants exceeds the set maximum limit, and when face masks and face shields are not being properly worn.
Aside from exposure to a Covid-19 patient, she said transmissions are high in hospitals due to improper wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE), non-observance of proper handwashing and disinfection at all times, and increased complacency of some healthcare workers due to the Covid-19 vaccination status.
She added that they also saw complacency in the observance of health protocols in government establishments such as police stations, airports, public markets, and other government offices.
In a nutshell, it is the growing complacency of some that is causing the increase in Covid-19 cases in the city. This complacency was also among the factors to the surge in cases in India and National Capital Region. If we Dabawenyos do not want to go into another stricter quarantine, we have to shape up. We were able to do it last time.
We know that some of you may be having this "Covid-19 fatigue" with all the guidelines in place. These are put in place to manage the Covid-19 situation in the city and protect our healthcare system from collapsing. But the guidelines can only do so much.
By the end of the day, it falls upon us the responsibility to keep the cases low. The Covid-19 spreads between humans. If we do not practice the minimum health standards -- wearing face masks, physical distancing, and regular washing or sanitizing of hands -- we run the risk of being infected or infecting others.
As it was said before, if we want the pandemic to end or keep cases low, we have to do our part. Small yet responsible actions done by many can make a big impact in keeping cases low and prevent a surge in Covid-19 cases.