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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Local health authorities are underscoring the importance of disinfection before entering one’s residence amid the lingering threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The reminder was issued after a registered nurse, several weeks ago, went home to her family.
A few days later, her 77-year-old grandmother fell ill and was found to have contracted COVID-19, and died.
When traced and tested, the nurse was eventually found positive for COVID-19, although she showed no symptoms.
Health authorities said she may have brought the infection home with her.
“A lot of our workers relax their guard when they are at home, even after spending hours outside,” said Dr. Joselito Retuya, chief epidemiologist at the City Health Office here.
“Workers should clean up before entering their residences. They should disinfect to avoid inviting COVID-19 to homes,” Retuya appealed.
He said they should leave their used clothes outside their residence and take a shower before mingling with the rest of the family.
Retuya explained that the recent surge in cases due to local virus transmission is attributed to workers, whether in private or government offices and institutions, and mostly aged between 21 to 40 years old.
Workers are considered authorized persons outside of residence (APOR), based on current health protocols.
As of September 24, the city has 265 active cases, 223 of which (84 percent), are due to local transmission, and 42 are returnees.
The highest single-day count was recorded on Sept. 23, at 20 cases. Of the total 327 local cases, so far, 26 have died.
Isolation facility
As cases continue to rise, the local government is building another isolation facility in an undisclosed location to cater to the growing number of COVID-19 patients and suspects, especially that the Department of Health has already discouraged home quarantine even for asymptomatic
Mayor Oscar Moreno said the facility will house mild to moderate cases to help ease the patient load at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), the region’s main COVID-19 referral hospital.
Moreno thanked Polymedic Plaza, a private hospital, for donating 25 beds for the facility which will be run like an infirmary by the local government-owned JR Borja General Hospital.
An emergency transport service is also arranged with the disaster response office so that patients who need to be brought to NMMC can be readily transferred.
“We are doing everything we can,” Moreno assured.