Cagayan Valley reports 2 new coronavirus cases

Kurt dela Peña and Earl Jon Taguinod

TUGUEGARAO CITY – The Department of Health - Cagayan Valley confirmed March 26, that Cagayan province has two new cases of the coronavirus disease.

               In a press briefing, DOH-Cagayan Valley officer-in-charge Leticia Cabrera said a 39-year-old resident of Tuao town and a 70-year-old resident from Gattaran town were the two new cases in the province and the Cagayan Valley region as well.

Designated as PH 661, the province’s second reported case traveled all the way from Manila to Tuguegarao on March 14 after fetching his wife who arrived from Hong Kong. The couple was reported to have boarded a Florida bus from the country’s capital. Upon their arrival in Tuguegarao, the two also rode a public utility jeep and tricycle.

Meanwhile, PH662 used a private vehicle when he traveled from Manila to his hometown on March 12. Cagayan Provincial Office later revealed that PH662 was former Cagayan congressman Ramon Nolasco Sr, citing a report from radio station DZCV.

According to Cabrera, both patients had fever, while PH662 also had a mild cough.

The patients were tested on March 20 and March 18, respectively.

PH661 is now isolated at the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC), while PH662 is under strict home quarantine, according to Cabrera.

“According to the Municipal Health Officer, [PH662] is doing well and under strict home quarantine,” she said.

Dr Glenn Mathew Baggao, chief of CVMC, said PH661 is on his 8th day in isolation and is now stable.

Meanwhile, the health officials urged the public to cooperate with efforts to locate all persons that need to be traced.

"Tayo po ay nakikiusap po at umaapila sa ating kababayan na doblehin natin ang ating pag-iingat….Tumulong po tayo. Sama-sama po tayo labanan ang virus na ‘to para sa ngayon tumigil na po at hindi na madagdagan ang nasasawi at hindi na madagdagan ang mga kaso natin," added Baggao.

(We are appealing to the people to double their efforts in staying safe...Let's help each other out and join the fight against the virus, so it'll stop and our number of confirmed cases will no longer rise.)

With the two new cases, the total of confirmed coronavirus cases in Cagayan Valley is now 3.

The region reported its first case last Saturday, March 21. As of Thursday, 9 am, Cagayan Valley (Region 2) also has 185 persons under investigation, and 49,581 persons under monitoring.

There are still no reports of cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, from the rest of the Region 2 provinces. These are: Batanes, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino.

The province of Cagayan has been placed under lockdown after President Rodrigo Duterte imposed an “enhanced” community quarantine in the entire Luzon Island.

As of Wednesday, March 25, the Philippines has 636 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with 26 recoveries, and 38 deaths. – Rappler.com

 

Gov't to finalize guidelines on extension,

expansion, or lifting of Luzon lockdown

By Sofia Tomacruz

Midway into the Luzon lockdown, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the coronavirus ordered its technical working group to finalize guidelines on the extension, expansion, modification, or lifting of the 30-day the enhanced community quarantine due to end on Easter Sunday, April 12.

“The IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) Technical Working Group to be led by the DOH (Department of Health) is directed to convene and finalize the parameters for deciding on the eventual total or partial lifting of the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) in Luzon, the possible extension of its duration, or its expansion to other areas outside the contained area,” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles announced in a virtual briefing on Tuesday, March 31.

The guidelines will be subject to IATF approval.

In an earlier briefing, Nograles said some targets the government wanted to achieve by April 12 were to contain the spread of the coronavorus, identify communities with no cases, and isolate communities with confirmed cases.

Aside from this, Nograles said the government also wanted to start focusing on treatment and recoveries annd sustain a record of "no new cases."

Strict quarantine measures to keep people in their homes were put in place for the entire Luzon, where the most number of confirmed coronavirus cases are.

Some 57 million residents in 8 regions were told to observe physical distancing measures, to help protect against coronavirus infection.

Health experts, however, raised concerns over the true results of quarantine measures with data lacking to show an accurate picture of the coronavirus spread in the country.

Accurate and timely data, they added, is essential in making the tough decision to either extend or end quarantine measures, which if lifted too early could inundate hospitals already overwhelmed with patients.

Former health secretary Manuel Dayrit earlier warned cases were likely to surge when the lockdown period in Luzon ends on April 12.

When the lockdown began on midnight of Tuesday, March 17, the country had 140 cases. As of Monday, March 30, that number that soared more than ten-fold to 1,546. The confirmed cases as of Monday include 78 deaths and 48 recoveries.

Despite this, Nograles gave assurances that when it comes to reviewing lockdown measures in place, “science is in charge.” He denied reports circulating that the government had already decided to extend quarantine measures for 60 days.

"Sa usapin na ito, science is in charge. Sana po malinaw ito sa ating lahat (When it comes to this, science is in charge. That should be clear to everyone)," he said. – Rappler.com