ILOILO – The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) is wary of the surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in China.
IPHO head, Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, said the surveillance and monitoring team of the IPHO is already in place at the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan town for travelers from China.
The IPHO received a Department Memorandum on the “Reiteration of heightened alert for COVID-19 arrival from China”, signed by Department of Health (DOH) officer-in-charge secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Dec. 31, 2022.
The memorandum was addressed to all undersecretaries and assistant secretaries; directors of bureau’s and centers for health development (CHD); the Minister of Health-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao; chief of medical centers, hospitals, sanitaria and institutes; and all others concerned.
Quiñon said they asked Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)-Iloilo manager Manuela Luisa Palma to inform the IPHO of any arrivals of individuals from China at the Iloilo Airport.
The Bureau of Quarantine, meanwhile, will be checking arrivals in Metro Manila before travelers depart for Iloilo.
Quiñon also said that the provincial government of Iloilo echoed Vergeire’s call for continued observance of minimum public health standards and to avail of vaccines, especially for those who still haven’t.
As of Jan. 3, 2023, a total of 1,376,719 individuals in Iloilo were able to avail themselves of the first dose; 1,291,217 individuals for the second dose; 286,488 individuals for the first booster; and 24,611 individuals for the second booster.
Iloilo’s target is to inoculate 70 percent of its population, or 1,461,756 individuals.
To recall, Vergeire said in her department memorandum that “following the recent increase in the COVID-19 cases in China, there is a need for the country to intensify the monitoring and implementation of border control protocols for incoming individuals, especially from China, at all ports of entry.”
In view of this, the directors of all CHDs are directed to ensure continuous coordination with concerned agencies, intergovernmental bodies, and local government units in their respective regions to monitor and provide assistance as needed to the intensified implementation of border control protocols at all ports of entry, including but not limited to:
* Heightened surveillance on all respiratory symptoms in all travelers and conveyances coming from China, including a thorough review of the submitted Maritime Declaration of Health and the health part of the Aircraft General Declaration
* Reporting of intercepted symptomatic passengers during arrival screening
* Submission of reports of COVID-19 positive travelers from points of entry
* Information dissemination among travelers regarding COVID infection prevention and control
* Coordination with airport and seaport terminal authorities for possible re-establishment of testing of inbound travelers from high-alert countries
* Coordination with port and airport authorities and partners on identifying areas for the display of information, education, and communication (IEC) materials.
The DOH OIC secretary also ordered that “all CHDs are likewise directed to continue the strict implementation of the updated guidelines on minimum public health standards, as aligned with Department Memorandum 2022-0433, as well as other relevant COVID-19 surveillance and mitigation measures, including but not limited to:
* Implementation of updated testing and isolation protocols
* Monitoring of hospital utilization rates and organization of respective local referral networks
* Preparation and augmentation of resources, especially telemedicine providers, for a possible increase in patients with respiratory symptoms
* Reiteration of messages emphasizing the importance of layers of protection (mask, getting the most updated vaccines, and self-isolation if unwell) for the general public./PN
