49 wards of Bahay Pagasa in Davao City contract COVID
DAVAO CITY – Davao City Health Office (CHO) acting head Dr. Ashley Lopez confirmed that at least 49 cases of COVID-19 have been reported out of the 105 wards swabbed at the Davao City Children’s Village or “Bahay Pagasa,” a temporary shelter of the local government for the children in conflict with the law (CICL).
Lopez said in an interview over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5) that the local health authorities have taken drastic measures to contain the outbreak at the facility in Barangay Bago Oshiro, Tugbok District, and provided isolation tent for every infected youth offender.
He said the cases could not be transferred to the temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs) for fear that they may escape since those facilities are not strictly guarded.
According the website of the local government, the children’s village is temporary shelter for CICL “whose cases have been filed in court and are waiting for the disposition of their cases.”
He said that additional security personnel and medical staff have been deployed to the children’s village, which is now on Day 10 of lockdown, to monitor and provide them medical assistance.
“There were three who escaped (early this week) but we were able to retrieve those guys in a matter of few hours because they lived near Tugbok,” he said.
He said the patients are asymptomatic.
“They have good resistance, so we don’t expect any complications from this group. As we know, based on the data, those who are usually vulnerable to complications are the senior citizens,” he added.
Meanwhile, the city government of Davao has condemned the top floor of the three-story UP Mindanao faculty and staff house which is currently used as a temporary TTMF for COVID-19.
The facility sustained minor cracks from the magnitude-6.1 earthquake that shook parts of Mindanao last Feb. 7.
Lopez said during an interview over DCDR 87.5 that the top floor was unfit to accommodate COVID-19 patients due to the risk of injuries from falling debris. “The third floor can no longer be used as we saw some cracks that are quite dangerous,” he said.
He said the local government continues to use the building’s first and second floors. Lopez said this will not affect the total bed capacity of the local government since occupancy rate averages only at 43 percent.
The faculty and staff house of UP Mindanao has a total of 70 beds.