Bacolod EOC beefs up COVID-19 testing

By Dolly Yasa

 

BACOLOD City – Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is maximizing its testing operations, with focus on individuals with high risk of COVID-19 infection.

To further maximize the testing operations, the EOC is aggressively conducting surveillance testing in various areas, the recent of which was in the Bacolod City Police Office after some police officers contracted the virus.

Those who test positive will immediately be placed under isolation, Leonardia said.

He added that testing plays a key role in the city government’s efforts to prevent the spread of the virus by identifying infected individuals and thus preventing further transmission.

Meanwhile, City Administrator Em Ang, executive director of EOC, stressed that the EOC strongly discourages holding of social gatherings and dining out with those who are not members of the same household.

“It is important to avoid mixing people in one place at the same time because it is one key factor of spreading COVID-19 infection,” Ang said.

Based on the EOC April 23 report on positivity rate, 20 percent of 441 individuals who underwent testing in Bacolod had positive results.

This has alarming implications since the EOC, as a rule of thumb, already considers a five-percent positivity rate as “too high.”

As of April 24, a total of 74,886 individuals have already undergone RT-PCR testing in Bacolod, according to data from the EOC.

Individuals who tested positive were being isolated; their close contacts are also being monitored and instructed to undergo home quarantine.

Individuals placed under isolation have food supplies and other necessities provided by the city government.

“We have to provide food supply and other necessities to help them cope with the quarantine days and prevent jeopardizing the quarantine protocols,” the EOC said in a statement.

Leonardia has also instructed the EOC to issue reminders and warnings for Bacolodnons to strictly follow minimum health protocols, like the wearing of face masks and face shields, and observance of social distancing.

Maintaining a safe distance from others is among the best ways to avoid exposure to COVID-19, the EOC added. (With a report from PIO)