Monitoring Covid cases/Reigning in errant POSDs

CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – The city government will intensify its monitoring of vaccination breakthrough cases or patients who develop Coronavirus infection despite having been inoculated.
    Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the city has to double its efforts on this end in view of the looming threat of the Delta or Indian coronavirus variant especially since studies are still underway on the variant’s resistance to vaccines.
     ”We may be seeing an increase in the number of breakthrough cases and we have to be prepared,” the mayor said.
     The World Health Organization and the Dept. of Health had said that all covid-19 vaccines with Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) can help prevent hospitalization and death but there is no absolute assurance that all vaccinated people would not be infected or hospitalized.
    In fact according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
    “Vaccine breakthrough cases are expected.  Covid-19
 vaccines are effective and are a critical tool to bring the pandemic under control.  However, no vaccines are 100% effective at preventing illness in vaccinated people. There will be a small percentage of fully vaccinated people who still get sick, are hospitalized, or die from Covid-19.”
    The mayor said vaccinated people should remain on guard as they can still fall prey to the virus.
    Data analysts in the city are continuing to gather information on the city’s breakthrough cases at present.
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    Mayor Magalong reminded Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) operatives to espouse humility in discharging their tasks.
    “Let’s remember that rank is just incidental to public service.  We should keep our feet planted on the ground.  While we should strive to serve with honor and integrity, we should always serve with humility. There’s no substitute to it,” the mayor said.
    The mayor admitted there were some operatives who act high handed and this attitudinal problem was being addressed as the office led by Division Chief Marvin Herrera and Security Officer Daryll Longid had committed “to continue to institute reforms to ensure that the level of service we deliver is no less than the quality that the public deserves.”
    He called for the conduct of intensive trainings on customer care and quality assurance among the enforcers to instill good values and the rudiments of approaching and apprehending violators of city ordinances and regulations.
    As to abusive behavior and ill conduct, he said this will not be tolerated as in the case of the enforcer who figured in knife-wielding incident with a public utility jeepney driver recently.
    The said operative was dismissed for from service after investigation showed he “committed a grievous act when he drew out a utility knife supposedly to ward off a very hostile traffic violator but however resulted to the further escalation of the situation.”
    The POSD had apologized for the incident and promised to give more focus on values enhancement of its men as well as cementing its mandate as an indispensable partner in the city’s essential operations.
    Bulk of the division’s work cater to providing order and safety support to the various operations of the city government such as vaccinations, swabbing, business permit renewal, tourism events, relief operations and others.
    This is apart from serving as force multiplier in the implementation of non-criminal ordinances like anti-jaywalking, anti-smoking, anti-peddling, anti-spitting, anti-distracted walking, anti-road obstruction ordinance (ARO) and Covid-19-related policies.