Batangas City as a high risk area in COVID-19 is in question

by Sentinel Times Staff November 30, 2020 City Health Officer Dr. Rosanna Barrion ...

by Sentinel Times Staff
November 30, 2020

City Health Officer Dr. Rosanna Barrion (Photo from Batangas - PIO)

BATANGAS CITY - Is the OCTA Research Group of the University of the Philippines bases correct on the merger in Batangas City on the list of COVID-19 high risk areas in the country?

This is a question on the mind of City Health Officer Dr. Rosanna Barrion in the results of the study of the said group where Batangas City is considered a high risk area due to the number of positive cases per day and high hospitalization occupancy.



“ It is unfair and unjust that Batangas City was tagged as such without informing us the results of their study, ” Dra. Barrion said in her letter to Mayor Dimacuha.

Although they are experts in the field of research, he said it is only deserve that they first inform the results to those concerned before releasing them to the media.



“ Nakakalungkot na sa kabila ng efforts at strategies na isinasagawa ng aming tanggapan sa nakalipas na walong buwan ng pandemya, ay nakonsidera na high risk ang lungsod,” Dra. Barrion said.

He said hospitalization occupancy at Batangas Medical Center which is a regional and DOH-retained hospital as well as at five private hospitals in the city cannot be based on it because he said not all patients here are from Batangas City.



According to Barrion, because the city has a large population, there is a high probability of having a high number of cases.

“ Kung pagbabatayan ang incidence rate bilang indicator, may ibang bayan na may mataas na incidence rate sa Batangas City kahit maliit ang populasyon nito,” she said.

He added that Batangas City is the third of the four cities and the sixth of the LGUs in the province at the incidence rate.

He said that from the beginning, the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) has taken various measures to combat COVID19.

The city is the first LGU to have an isolation facility in the province for suspects, probable and confirmed cases

He also stressed that the CHO complies with the Omnibus Interim Guidelines on Prevention, Detection and Isolation, Treatment and Reintegration Strategies for COVID19 of the Department of Health (DOH) so they continue to conduct active surveillance and contact tracing by CESU.

As a result, they are able to conduct RT-PCR testing on close contacts of confirmed cases and isolate them early.

He also said that the city government's cooperation with the Philippine Red Cross in conducting the swab test, which has spent more than P 16 million since July, has also been a big help in boosting their testing capacity.

This is due to the closure of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in April so the city lost a testing lab that could carry specimens. They had a temporary suspension of their service in August which limited the province of Batangas to 200 slots. As a result, only 40 specimens can be tested by Batangas City per week.

The city currently has four Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMF) with a 69-bed capacity with doctors, nurses and support staff on duty 24/7.

Here is free medicine, food and even an internet connection.

The local government hired more nurses, medtech, contact tracers, encoders where they underwent training on effective contact tracing and data base management with the staff of contact tracing czar and Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong.

The city government has also formed a Task Force to monitor the implementation of the minimum health standard in barangays and business establishments while the information dissemination of the Public Information Office on safety protocols continues.

The City Council also enacted several ordinances and resolutions to prevent the spread of COVID19 and ensure the safety of the public.

Dra. Barrion assisted Mayor Beverley Rose Dimacuha to request a copy of the results of the OCTA Research Group's study on its findings.

Despite such tagging of being a high risk area, Dra. Barrion that they will do everything they can to fight the current pandemic.