All ‘Isolation’ facilities almost full
THE Provincial Health Office (PHO) has sounded the alarm that the isolation facilities put up by towns and cities for COVID-19 patients in their respective jurisdictions are almost filled to the limits.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Anna de Guzman said this is a big challenge to the local governments who are mandated to set up isolation facilities for their respective constituents diagnosed to be COVID-19 positive.
Based on the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases (IATF), the isolation facilities will accommodate only COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms or are considered asymptomatic.
De Guzman said patients with moderate and severe symptoms of the disease like fever, cough, colds, shortness of breath and loss of smell, among others, who are called symptomatic, have to be confined in hospitals
Isolation facilities in towns and cities are manned by personnel of Rural/City Health Units.
“Fortunately,” she said “there are still enough rooms still available for active COVID-19 patients at the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital in San Carlos City and in 13 other hospitals operated by the provincial government.”
The Region 1 Medical Center can also accept COVID-19 patients with moderate and severe symptoms although some private hospitals were reported to have started accepting COVID-19 patients.
Meanwhile, De Guzman clarified her earlier statement before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan that COVID-19 positive who are asymptomatic rarely infect other people, citing studies made by experts and the World Health Organization (WHO).
“We are not saying that asymptomatic persons can not infect others. We are saying that rarely they can infect based on studies that were validated by WHO,” De Guzman said.
She pointed out that asymptomatic persons still need to wear masks and face shields, maintain social or physical distancing, adopt a health lifestyle and boost immune system to stay away from COVID-19. (Leonardo Micua)
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