Search for COVID-free villages in Roxas launched

By Felipe V. Celino 

 

ROXAS CITY, Capiz— The city government here recently launched a program that aims to enhance the campaign against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) here.

Dubbed “Search for CURES in Barangays” or Search for Covid-19 Unified Response and Effective Strategies in Barangays, the program was launched by Mayor Ronnie Dadivas in the hopes of stopping the spread of the pandemic in the barangays.

According to Ronald Amigo, assistant department head of the Roxas City, the program is a joint effort of the Department of Health and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Rewards will be given to the barangays with good implementation of COVID-19 protocols such as the face mask/face shield ordinance, physical distancing, accommodation of locally stranded individuals (LSI’s) and returning overseas Filipino (ROF), among others.

Meanwhile, the daily cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) here appear to be declining.

For the first time this month, no new confirmed COVID-19 case was recorded as of Nov 6. The city also posted five recoveries.

On Nov. 7, the city logged two new cases only and another five recoveries.

“Although our situation seems hopeless and most of you are getting frustrated, we achieve little ‘wins’ that we must celebrate,” according to Mayor Ronnie Dadivas on his Facebook page.

The city mayor also shared another good news – the projection that the city’s COVID-19 cases were going to hit 570 by the end of September and October did not materialize.

“What does this mean? It means that no matter how small our ‘wins’ are, we are gaining traction and we are on the right track. Amat-amat lang. We will get to where we need to be,” Dadivas said.

As of Nov. 7, Roxas City’s active COVID-19 cases totaled 48 while 316 patients already recovered from the viral infection.

On the other hand, 31 persons died from the virus.

Dadivas cited the city’s frontliners and the support, discipline, and sacrifice of all the residents of Roxas city.

“I offer a prayer that by Christmas, Roxas City can start a new normal life,” he stressed.

Roxas City Health Officer Dr. Lorie Cahilog said in a radio interview that the city’s cases are gradually declining since the start of the operation of the Roxas City COVID-19 test laboratory.

Cahilog emphasized that the molecular laboratory has been a big help in the management of COVID-19 cases as positive cases are immediately isolated.

Cahilog said the laboratory has processed 554 specimens with 53 positive results.

More or less 50 specimens are processed daily in the laboratory and the results are released in not more than 48 hours.