BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The city government of San Carlos in Negros Occidental will subject all bedridden individuals to surveillance testing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will spearhead the surveillance, which gauges the prevalence of COVID-19 cases within a community by periodically evaluating samples from randomly selected non-symptomatic individuals.
These coronavirus testing efforts are needed amid the increasing number of deaths due to the viral disease in the metro, according to Sangguniang Panlungsod member and EOC commander Wilmar Yap.
Citing the City Health Office’s data, Yap, a physician, noted that most of the fatalities were bedridden individuals who have not been outside of their respective homes for a very long time.
Last month, 26 died of COVID-19 in the city, most of them senior citizens who were already bedridden.
“This is a way of knowing if members of a certain household are COVID-19 carriers. We can provide them health assistance, capture asymptomatic individuals and prevent the further the spread of the virus,” said Yap
He ordered punong barangays to provide the EOC a list of all bedridden individuals in their respective areas so the testing will be made soon.
Yap urged them to strictly monitor those under home quarantine and apprehend violators of the health protocol like the wearing of facemask, face shield and social distancing./PN
