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Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd on Monday attributed the drop in the number of Covid cases to the government’s granular response to the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
Duque praised local government officials, including village chiefs, for enforcing the Coordinated Response Program to Defeat the Epidemic in their areas to rapidly detect, track and isolate confirmed Covid-19 cases.
He said that the country made significant progress in the fight against Covid-19 because the capacity of the health system had increased in recent months.
As of November 4, the country had 159 laboratories processing Covid-19 samples using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction tests, which has a faster turnaround time and fewer delays.
There are 11,225 quarantine facilities and 16 mega temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMF), with a total bed capacity of 168,440 and a utilization rate of 27 percent.
Duque said TTMFs allowed hospitals to target critically ill Covid-19 patients and those unable to self-isolate at home.
He also highlighted the efficient response of the One Hospital Command system, led by the treatment czar, the Undersecretary of Health, Leopoldo Vega, with 78 procedures resolved every day.
Even as Duque was promoting the drop in Covid-19 cases, his deputy, Undersecretary of Health María Rosario Vergeire, warned that there were still areas in Visayas and Mindanao where cases had increased.
Vergeire mentioned Sarangani, Eastern Samar, including the city of Ormoc, and the Dinagat Islands, which had a 200 percent increase in Covid-19 cases after their ports reopened.
On Monday, the country registered 2,058 new Covid cases, bringing the total case count to 398,449.
There were 182 new recoveries, for a total recovery count of 361,784 and 108 deaths, bringing the death toll to 7,647.
Duque also said that the appointment of the main executor of the National Covid-19 Task Force, Carlito Gálvez Jr., as “vaccine czar” is part of the roadmap to find a Covid vaccine.
“The availability of the vaccine will undoubtedly change the rules of the game, as we will move from avoiding it to minimizing the threat of infection.” Duque said.
On the roadmap, the Department of Science and Technology will be the lead agency for vaccine development, along with the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Foreign Relations for diplomatic engagement.
The Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management, together with the Department of Finance, will be responsible for the procurement and budget of the vaccine “to ensure that the budget allocated for Covid-19 vaccines is used for maximum coverage of the intended beneficiaries, ”Duque added.
The health department will be responsible for the deployment and implementation of the vaccine. It will also manage the cold chain storage of the vaccine, the training of health personnel, logistics management and the monitoring of adverse reactions in inoculated patients.
Duque said there would be strict monitoring procedures and protocols in the acquisition of vaccines, so the vaccine group would be guided by groups of experts such as the Council for the Evaluation of Health Technologies, the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization and the National Committee. of Adverse Events After Immunization.
Gálvez said his group was continuing discussions with other countries for the possible purchase of some vaccines from government to government.
The goal is to acquire 50 million doses of vaccines to inoculate 25 million people.
Lopez said that by May or June next year, a vaccine may be available, but distribution may not begin until 2022 due to high demand, especially from developed countries.
Among the areas considered for the vaccine distribution zone are Metro Manila, Region 3 and 4A, Cebu, Davao City and Cagayan De Oro City, where the case load is high and where the storage centers of the chain of vaccines will be built. cold.
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