Covid cases shoot up!

‘Zambo now has over 2,000 infections’

THE NUMBER of active Covid-19 cases here has reached over 2,000 as the local government continues to fight the spread of deadly respiratory virus with ten out of 98 barangays having recorded the highest number of infections.

According to the City Health Office, the following barangays have the highest number active Covid-19 cases: Tetuan, Tumaga, and Santa Maria recorded over 100 cases; and under 100 are Putik, Guiwan, Calarian, Talon-Talon, Ayala, San Roque, Tugbungan, Pasonanca, Divisoria, Canelar, Mercedes, Baliwasan, Lunzuran, San Jose Gusu, Vitali, Malagutay and Culianan.

And with the spike in Covid-19 cases, the local government said the Sunday lockdown will continue until October 31 allowing public and government offices, including business owners to disinfect their establishments.

Government hospitals are also full of patients, including doctors who contracted the disease from non-Covid wards. 

Despite the increasing number of active Covid-19 cases, the national government’s Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) has placed Zamboanga under the General Community Quarantine until the end of the month. 

The spike in infections in the community are largely blamed to the Delta variant of the Covid-19 and the complacency of residents who continue to violate public health protocols despite repeated warnings from the local government and the City Health Office. 

City Health Officer Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite also noted that Covid-19 has already affected even the younger population with deadly consequences. “We are now seeing the younger population also getting infected. We have compared our data from last year (when the original virus was detected) with the present situation, now we have under 15-years old who died from Covid. We have to strictly follow the minimum health standards. Let us protect ourselves, keep our family and our loved ones especially children and our senior citizens protected. Please take care,” Miravite said. 

One doctor, who asked not to be named, said the Covid-19 wards at the Zamboanga City Medical Center are full. He said even some doctors have been infected with the virus after being exposed to relatives or family members of patients in non-Covid wards. 

“The (Covid-19) wards are full and even doctors are getting sick and some of them who have comorbidities are now undergoing dialysis. They got the virus from watchers of patients in non-Covid wards. You know, patients being admitted undergo Covid testing, but now their watchers who turned out to be positive for Covid, although asymptomatic, spread the virus to some doctors and maybe other people at the hospital,” he told the Zamboanga Post. 

“This is a very dangerous time. Health authorities should have placed Zamboanga City under Enhanced Community Quarantine to immediately address the spike in Covid-19 cases which is largely blamed on the Delta variant (of the new Coronavirus). Now is the time to declare ECQ,” he added. 

The Delta variant was first detected in India, but quickly spread in more than 130 countries. 

Mayor Beng Climaco, who chairs the local Covid-19 task force, has repeatedly called on residents to strictly follow the health protocols as the local government continues its massive vaccination program to be able to achieve herd immunity or inoculate at least 70% of Zamboanga’s almost or more than one million population. 

Climaco also issued an executive order making it mandatory for all travellers - whether they are fully vaccinated or not - entering Zamboanga to present their negative RT-PCR test results, especially now that Delta variant is the dominant variant in the country. 

The Department of Health also urged the public to strictly follow the health protocols. 

“During this time, we must ramp-up active case finding, conduct risk-based testing using RT-PCR, and fast track vaccination among high-risk groups. There will also be intensified granular lockdowns from barangay down to the household level to contain transmission,” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire. 

“We also call on everyone to continuously observe the minimum public health standards and consciously avoid these three C’s that pose higher risk of Covid-19 transmission when all are present in your activities such as crowded places and closed-contact settings where physical distancing may not be observed, and people have face-to-face interaction, and closed spaces with poor ventilation,” she added. (Zamboanga Post, Mindanao Examiner)