BALANGA, BATAAN — At least 77 inmates or Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDL) from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) here were confirmed positive for COVID-19 Sunday, April 4.
The latest report from the City Health Office (CHO) said the inmates are now being treated and monitored at the Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility (TTMF) in barangay Tenejero in this town.
Four others also tested positive for Coronavirus bringing Easter Sunday’s new record cases to 81. There are now 152 active cases of COVID-19 in Balanga so far.
The province of Bataan is bracing for the worst as a commissioned study by the University of the Philippines (UP) showed an alarming 15.32% infection rate daily as evidenced by the testing results from the 1Bataan-BGHMC RT-PCR Laboratory here. The same report said that the utilization of Intensive Care Units (ICU) in all hospitals in the province is reportedly at 85% already.
In response, Bataan Gov. Albert S. Garcia has directed the immediate implementation of Provincial Ordinance No. 4 that revisits the strict observance of minimum health standards, border control measures that now extends even to the barangay level, prohibition of mass gatherings, imposition of curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., penalizing violators and empowering private individuals by encouraging them to report any violations happening in the community.
In the matter of the vaccination program being undertaken in the province, there are now 6,783 medical frontliners who have received their first dose of anti-COVID-19 vaccines since the roll-out commenced last March 8. Bataan has already received a total of 7,082 doses of Coronavac and AstraZeneca vaccines from the national government.