Covid-19 surge overwhelms 4 hospitals in Davao de Oro

Contributed photo
Contributed photo

DUE to surged in Covid-19 cases, Davao de Oro Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy said the four hospital wards in the province are now nearing full occupancy.

Uy posted on his Facebook account on Monday afternoon, May 31, that the provincial hospitals in Montevista, Laak, Maragusan, and Pantukan are almost fully occupied due to the surge of cases in the provinces for the past weeks.

"In the past weeks, misaka ug taman ang atong kaso sa (Covid-19) (our Covid-19 cases went high). From double digits sa milabay’ng pila ka bulan, approaching 300 na ang atong (in the past months, we are now approaching 300) active cases. Nakasinati ang Davao de Oro og surge of cases (The entire Davao de Oro is experiencing a surge of cases) [sic]," the governor said.

He said the surge of cases has a dangerous effect on the province's entire healthcare system.

"Kung magpadayon pa ang surge of cases, posibleng mas kinahanglanon nato ug mas daghang bed capacity para sa mga (Covid-19) patients. Pag kini mahitabo, masakripisyo ang sitwasyong panlawas ug ang kinabuhi sa mga pasyente nga non-(Covid-19) ang kaso. Kinahanglan aduna gihapon kita’y igong espasyo sa mga kasong dili (Covid-19) aron matambalan usab sila (If the surge of cases continues, we might need to allocate more beds for Covid-19 patients. If this would happen, there's a huge risk that the health of the non-Covid-19 patients might be sacrificed. We need to have enough capacity to also cater to non-Covid-19 patients)," Uy said.

The official warned that the province's healthcare system might be similar to what happened in Metro Manila in the past months.

He added that an uncontrolled surge of cases may also result in the province taking more drastic actions, including placing the entire area under strict quarantine classification.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday evening, May 31, placed the entire Davao de Oro and the rest of Davao Region, except Davao City, under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ). Davao City is still under general community quarantine (GCQ).

"Dili kita gusto nga mubalik sa (We do not want to go back to) ECQ [enhanced community quarantine] o MECQ [modified ECQ]," Uy said.

According to the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao Region data as of May 31, Davao de Oro has a total of 1,968 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 304 active cases, 1,594 recoveries, and 70 deaths.

Uy cited mass gatherings in the surge of cases in the province.

Based on contact tracing history, most cases were seen in birthdays, burials, fiesta, and other gatherings.

"Kabalo kita nga halos mibalik na sa normal ang tanan. Padayong abri na ang ekonomiya ug galatas-latas na lang ang mga tao sa lain-laing lugar. Apan dili kini excuse aron dili kita padayong mag-amping (We all know that everything is almost back to normal. The economy has slowly reopened and people have been traveling from one place to another. But this is not an excuse for us not to be complacent)," the governor said.

As agreed during the Provincial Peace and Order Council meeting, Uy said he will issue an executive order limiting mass gatherings and other activities.

The official urged the public to continuously abide by the minimum health protocols.

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