DOH identifies 9 ’emerging hotspots’ in Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday identified nine (9) “emerging hotspots” of the coronavirus disease 2019 in Mindanao.

Health Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire enumerated the southern region’s emerging COVID-19 hotspots as Bukidnon, Lanao Del Norte, and Misamis Occidental in Northern Mindanao; Davao Del Norte, Davao Del Sur, and Davao Oriental in Davao Region; South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat in Soccsksargen, and; Maguindanao in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“Ito po ‘yung emerging hotspots in Mindanao na binabantayan din ng ating surveillance units sa ngayon dahil nga meron tayong mga kaso,” she said in an online press conference.

(These are emerging hotspots in Mindanao that our surveillance units are monitoring because of COVID-19 cases in these areas.)

Vergeire cited two considerations to call an area a hotspot: first, its “most basic definition” of an area that previously did not have COVID-19 cases before but suddenly recorded cases of infection; and second, an area where a “significant” number of additional cases are registered.

The health official said there could be several factors that led to the occurrence of confirmed cases in these areas but noted it is possible that individuals who came from Metro Manila and other places with COVID-19 and returned to these regions might have caused the spread of infection.

“Tandaan natin na ang mobility ng tao, especially when a person is coming from an area which has sustained community transition and then going inside an area na wala naman talagang maramihang kaso, maaaring contributor ‘yun because we know how the disease spreads,” Vergeire explained.

(Let us remember that the mobility of people, especially those coming from an area which has sustained community transition could be a contributor to the spread of the disease in these areas.)

DOH has already recorded 37,514 cases of COVID-19 in the country as of Tuesday, June 30. The number of recoveries was registered at 10,233 while the death toll now stands at 1,266.

KGA

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