COVID-19,
Opinion: A vital role on the COVID-19 pandemic
On April 7, 2020, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines reached 3,660, the death toll climbed up to 163, and a total of 73 people have already recovered from the disease.
Given the current supply of testing kits, Jack Ma’s donation of 57,000 COVID-19 testing kits, and the newly approved kits produced by UP, people are pushing for mass testing that prioritizes Persona Under Investigation (PUIs), Persons Under Monitoring (PUMs), and frontliners, such as healthcare personnel, security guards, custodial workers, and military forces.
According to COVID-19 response head Carlito Galvez, Jr., the government is eyeing to conduct mass testing beginning April 14. However, he clarified to the media that testing is ongoing and the Department of Health (DOH) has already tested 22,958 people as of April 6, 2020. The importance of testing has been frequently emphasized by the World Health Organization and by countries with best practices for curbing the spread of the virus for it will help to see the real numbers and even detect those who have the disease but are asymptomatic. Without mass testing, this lockdown will be useless.
However, with the number of COVID-19 patient cases, and PUIs and PUMs continuously rising, some medical centers are running out of space to accommodate new patients. Hospitals such as Makati Medical Center, The Medical City in Pasig, St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City and Bonifacio Global City, Chinese General Hospital, The Asian Hospital and Medical Center in Muntinlupa, and Delos Santos Medical Center in Quezon City, have released separate announcements that they are already at capacity. Since it is highly possible that the number of cases will increase with amped up testing, the government has to be prepared and should have an effective system in place.
Last April 3, Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs and Projects Vince Dizon told the media that the National Government Administrative Center in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac will become a temporary hospital which can house about 1000 patients. The Athlete’s Village will also be used as a quarantine facility. On the same day, the government started converting the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), World Trade Center, and the Rizal Memorial Complex into COVID-19 isolation centers. The government, together with the LGUs, needs to act urgently and efficiently in converting facilities into COVID-19 isolation centers to prepare for the COVID-19 peak.
Unfortunately, rooms for COVID positive patients aren’t the only problem of hospitals. They are also running out of supplies of Proper Protective Equipment (PPE) and have started asking for donations. Since healthcare workers are most exposed, it is a must that they be provided with enough PPE so that their work is unhampered. Part of the 275B-peso budget allocation as stated in Republic Act No. 11469 or Bayanihan to Heal as One Act would be used to provide PPEs for our frontliners.
In another late-night address on April 6, President Duterte mentioned that all resources in the Bayanihan Act have already been allocated. This covers funding for the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to assist the LGUs in providing aid for their people, particularly to poor families. People who are earning minimum wage, no work no pay, street vendors, and those whose source of family income is driving public vehicles, should be prioritized by the government for they are the people who can’t stock-up basic necessities, which make them vulnerable to starvation. This will tide them over until the end of the extended ECQ on April 30.
These programs and guidelines will be more effective if everyone would do their part as individuals.
Citizens can also help by staying at home, as much as possible, unless it's necessary to go out to buy food and medicine. Always disinfect by washing your hands with soap for not less than 20 seconds. With cooperation, smooth communication, and proper prioritization and allocation of resources, more lives may be saved. //by Mariel Diesta
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