‘Don’t lower your guards vs COVID-19’

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

The Department of Health-Center for Health Development in Western Visayas (DOH CHD 6) on Monday said more patients under investigation (PUI) tested negative for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) in the region, but this is no reason for the public to be complacent.

As of February 19, 2020, DOH-CHD said that 36 of the 37 PUIs in Western Visayas tested negative for COVID-19, bringing the number of PUIs in the region to one.

The PUI remains admitted to a hospital in Capiz, according to Dr. Mary Jane Juanico head of the Infectious Disease Cluster.

“The 36 PUIs who tested negative were already discharged from the hospitals. Of the 37 PUIs, nine were recorded from Aklan, six from Capiz, Five in Negros Occidental, four in Bacolod City, three in Iloilo City and two in Antique,” she said in a press conference on Wednesday.

Almost two-thirds of the PUIs were Filipinos who had travel histories to countries with confirmed cases of COVID-19 while other nationalities include Chinese, Koreans, and Americans, Juanico added.

Despite this, DOH 6 reminded the public to not be complacent as it reiterated the call to continuously observe precautionary measures to guard oneself against the risk of inspection of respiratory diseases.

“The DOH advises the public must not let their guards down by continuously practicing self-protection measures, observe respiratory etiquette, hand hygiene and social distancing measures,” DOH-6 Assistant Regional Director Julia Villanueva emphasized.

“Whenever possible, keep a distance of at least three feet or one meter away from other people to reduce the possibility of person-to-person transmission. This distance should be observed as to apparently healthy persons without symptoms,” she added.

As the use of face mask alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection, Villanueva said the public should practice frequent handwashing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.