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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Intensify fight against COVID-19 and don't be complacent, DOH told

Intensify fight against COVID-19 and don't be complacent, DOH told

Published Mar 6, 2020 12:00 am
By Hannah Torregoza  Senator Risa Hontiveros on Friday urged the Department of Health (DOH) to do away with complacency and step up its campaign against the deadly coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Sen. Risa Hontiveros (Senator Risa Hontiveros / Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN) Sen. Risa Hontiveros (Senator Risa Hontiveros / Facebook / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Hontiveros made the call following DOH’s report of two more cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines, one of whom had no history of travel abroad. “Huwag kampante (Don’t be complacent)… This is the first case of local transmission of COVID-19. Ibig sabihin, may nagkakahawaan na sa loob ng bansa (This means the infections happen within the country),” Hontiveros declared. “This is a cause for concern and a wake-up call for our health officials. We should not give the public a false sense of security because the danger of local transmission is real,” Hontiveros said. The senator also expressed concern over reports of Taiwanese and Australian nationals who have been tested positive for the coronavirus after their travel to the Philippines. Hontiveros said the DOH must review its screening and testing protocol, which presently seems to be insufficient. READ MORE: Prepare for community-wide COVID-19 transmission, WHO tells PH “Parang hindi sapat (It seems it’s not enough). DOH should intensify its monitoring and surveillance to include all travelers, not just those who come from countries with high prevalence of COVID-19,” she stressed. The senator, likewise, said the DOH has to intensify local community health systems in the fight against the virus. “Detection and containment will improve if our community health surveillance and monitoring also improve,” Hontiveros pointed out. “Isama natin ang mga local government units at mga barangay sa laban kontra sa virus na ito, (let’s include the local government units and our village leaders in the fight against this virus),” she also said. Hontiveros said this global outbreak “will test the country’s public health system.” “A weak health system poses a risk to public health. We need the DOH to be hawk-eyed and transparent with the public every step of the way,” she said. READ MORE: 2 Filipinos raise current COVID-19 cases to 5
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