BAGUIO CITY February 11 – Regional health authorities disclosed that the Cordillera remains free from the dreaded Corona Virus Disease (COVID) 2019 amidst the presence of ten persons under investigation (PUIs) for having symptoms of the virus and history of travel to China, HongKong, Macau and Taiwan.
DOH-CAR regional director Dr. Amelita M. Pangilinan said that of the 10 PUIs, 4 individuals are new COVID suspects while 6 others are carry over from the previous number of PUIs.
Of the 10 PUIs, 4 are from Baguio City, 3 come from Abra, 2 are from Benguet and 1 is from Mountain Province. The 4 new PUIs are composed of 2 from Baguio City and 1 each from Benguet and Abra.
Moreover, Pangilinan said that 8 PUIs are in strict confinement in their respective homes while 2 others are confined in medical facilities.
The DOH-CAR official disclosed that the increase in the number of PUIs is a welcome development because people are now aware of the symptoms of the disease and that they are now seeking immediate medical attention from medical facilities in their places.
“We advise sick people to better stay at home and not to stay in crowded places so as not to complicate their condition and spread their illness,” Pangilinan stressed.
She said that the health department is grateful to the PUIs for voluntarily submitting themselves for the needed tests on whether or not they were able to contract the virus while in the said countries.
According to her, the number of days that a person under investigation has stayed in the said countries does not matter but what matters is their exposure to people that tested positive for the virus considering the animal to human and human to human transmission of the said illness.
Pangilinan also disclosed that some 21 individuals who had been classified as persons under monitoring for having been in close contacts with the identified PUIs in the region to help ascertain their health conditions.
The health official reminded residents in the different parts of the region that the best way to combat the spread of the virus is for everyone to keep their immune system strong by eating the right kinds of food, having sufficient sleep and exercise and to observe a healthy lifestyle.
Further, she claimed that one of the elements of the spread of the virus is the prevailing cold weather but the region is still fortunate that there are no confirmed COVID cases.
Health officials are keeping their fingers crossed that there will be no confirmed COVID cases in the region in the coming weeks until the situation normalizes. ** By Dexter A. See
