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LUCENA CITY – Hospitals and government health care workers in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region were on “code white alert” since Tuesday to Sunday (October 11 to 16) in anticipation of the effects of Tropical Depression “Maymay,” according to the regional Department of Health (DOH).
“We have raised the alert status due to the forecast that ‘Maymay’ will make a landfall in the vicinity of Aurora or the northern portion of Quezon by tomorrow afternoon or evening,” Dr. Ariel Valencia, DOH-Calabarzon director, said in a statement issued on Tuesday night.
Valencia explained that “code white alert” refers to the readiness of the hospital workforce – general and orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, internists, operating room nurses, ophthalmologists, and otorhinolaryngologists – to respond to any emergency situation.
Valencia encouraged the authorities in the provinces of Calabarzon “to raise their code alert as their Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices deem appropriate for monitoring and response to the possible effects of the typhoon.”
He advised all disaster risk reduction and management councils in the region to maintain 24 hours monitoring operations.
Valencia also tasked the authorities to ensure prepositioned logistics and buffer stock adequacy, including personal protective equipment; organize standby health emergency response teams for immediate deployment; and continued adherence to the COVID-19 minimum health standards at all times.
The DOH-Calabarzon assured the public that the Regional Office-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management for Health (DRRMH) will actively monitor all health-related emergencies.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in its Wednesday 5 a.m. weather bulletin said Maymay was last located 305 km east of Baler, Aurora with maximum sustained winds of 45 kph and gustiness of up to 55 kph.
Tropical Wind Signal No. 1 remains hoisted in Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, and the extreme northern portion of Quezon including the Polillo group of islands.