Pasig bolsters preventive measures amid virus scare

FILE: The Pasig City Health Office prepares its personnel against the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019. (PNA photo by Lade Kabagani)

MANILA – The local government of Pasig City has stepped up measures to halt the spread of the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Dr. Stuart Santos, Pasig City Assistant City Health Officer, on Wednesday said Pasig will intensify its information campaign and public health warnings on the infectious disease by disseminating infographic materials to residents and bolstering Covid-19 information drive through the city’s social media accounts.

He added that all the public facilities in the city including schools and public markets are being disinfected.

He said the city’s health office has ordered all health centers in Pasig to operate 24/7 to cater to residents who are willing to be tested for Covid-19.

“We will be having our operation centers even after the office hours (so) that the community can refer patients to us,” he said.

He said the purpose of tasking the city’s health personnel to go on 24/7 operation is to lessen the burden of the tertiary hospitals or public hospitals.

All the health centers, he said, will have at least one physician and two nurses available for public health consultations in every shift.

Meanwhile, Santos said the three Covid-19 patients reported are being closely monitored and all of their contacts are undergoing closed monitoring and house quarantine.

“I cannot verify as to the number of those who are not from Pasig.

What we know is those who are from Pasig — there are three of them. For now, the number has not yet gone up,” he said, adding that one of them has travel history to Japan and was admitted at a medical facility outside Pasig City.

He said the two patients who were earlier admitted at the TriCity Medical Center in Barangay Caniogan, Pasig City, have already been transferred to San Lazaro Hospital in Manila for further monitoring.

Santos said there is no local transmission of Covid-19 yet, noting that the three confirmed cases had travel history outside the country.

He also explained the difference of patient under investigation (PUI) and person under monitoring (PUM).

“If you have close contact with the one infected but you are not yet manifesting any symptoms, you will be considered only as PUM. But, if you have manifested several symptoms and had close contact with someone who is infected, then you are considered as PUI, wherein you will undergo heightened monitoring,” he said.

“We are mandated to admit PUIs to the hospitals, when PUMs, we are recommending home-quarantine,” he added.

The Pasig City Epidemiology Health Office who will be operating 24/7 amid Covid-19 can be contacted at hotline (8) 650-8047.