By Jhon Aldrin Casinas
The local government of San Juan City will convert its new San Juan Science High School into an overflow quarantine facility for COVID-19 persons under investigation (PUIs).
(Mayor Francis Zamora / MANILA BULLETIN)
Mayor Francis Zamora said the new and unused building of the San Juan City High School will be turned into a 100-bed COVID-19 overflow isolation facility for PUIs of the city.
It will also serve as a staging area before a PUI will be admitted at the San Juan Medical Center (SJMC) once their confirmatory test for the disease turned positive.
The creation of the overflow quarantine facility, he said, will be in partnership with Xavier School, under its “Kalinga Kontra Korona” initiative led by the Alumni Association of Xavier School (AAXS).
Zamora said the school will provide the hospital beds, X-ray machines, medicines, medical supplies, and other frontline personnel for the operation of the facility.
Xavier School will also provide food, water, and other necessities of the personnel.
The San Juan City High School building, the mayor said, was chosen to be used as a quarantine facility becuase of its location and proximity to the San Juan Medical Center.
Zamora said they have allowed the use of the school buildings as quarantine facilities, adding that the city government will provide utilities for the facility as well as security guards, janitors, and other maintenance staff.
Additional medical personnel will be also assigned in the facility should the need arises.
Operation of the quarantine facility will be under the supervision of the City Health Office and SJMC, he added.
“This offer by the Xavier Community to help us out in creating a COVID-19 overflow facility is indeed Godsent,” the mayor said. He also expressed his gratitude to Xavier School for their support.
With other hospitals exceeding their maximum capacity, local government has used the SJMC to cater to COVID-19 patients.
“We took it upon ourselves to help in any way we can in reducing the burden of secondary and tertiary hospitals in fighting the scourge of COVID-19,” Zamora said.
As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in San Juan jumped to 57, with eight comfirmed deaths.
Out of the total number of cases, the city government said 24 are currently admitted at various hospitals in Metro Manila while 13 are undergoing home quarantine. On the other hand, 12 of them have already been discharged.
According to the city’s tally, most of the cases are from Barangay Greenhills (with 18) and in Barangay West Crame (with 12).
As of March 25, 7 p.m., there are 102 PUIs and 222 persons under monitoring (PUMs) in the city. #