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The Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday that home quarantine for Covid-19 patients is still being encouraged as long as the requirements are met.
This was the DOH’s reaction when asked for a comment after Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the government is considering strictly implementing a “no home quarantine” policy to prevent the spread of the virus to family members.
“HQ [home quarantine] it is recommended only when all of the following requirements are strictly met, not just some: single room, single bathroom, and no seniors, ”DOH said.
The Barangay Health Emergency Response Team is also expected to regularly monitor patients undergoing HQ.
“Otherwise, the patient must be transferred to a quarantine / isolation facility,” the DOH said.
DOH emphasized that they have always been consistent in saying that quarantine / isolation on premises is preferred.
“However, as we were increasing the establishments or converting more facilities to TTMF, it was necessary to consider the option of the headquarters,” he said, adding that “let’s not lose sight of the problem here, there is no need to face one government agency. with another, we could confuse the public. “
What is important, DOH added, “is that we know, when in doubt [do I have symptoms of Covid]? It could have been a contact of a positive patient for Covid, etc., and then isolate / quarantine him, “he concluded.
Taguig’s vote
Despite obtaining one of the lowest numbers of active Covid-19 cases in the national capital region, the Taguig city government opened the site of the Lakeshore Hotel mega quarantine facility. At the event, the Inter-Institutional Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) – Coordinated Operations Team to Defeat the Epidemic (Code) delivered face masks to the city under the “Mask for Sa Masa” program.
“Taguig’s leadership has ensured adherence to the test-trace-treat approach, reinforcing our capabilities on all fronts. We have acted with urgency and innovated to meet the challenges, ”said Mayor Lino Cayetano.
Even though it already offers five ways to get tested under the Systematic Mass Approach to Responsible Testing (SMART) program (i.e., testing in hospitals, home-to-home testing, community-based testing through health centers, driving tests and tests at national facilities), the city will launch Taguig’s mobile test centers.
Another first after the test drives will be a state-of-the-art roving vehicle with medical equipment that the City’s Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit can use to perform PCR tests at different sites throughout Taguig.
“We also have quarantine facilities that accept suspected and probable cases, as well as confirmed cases with asymptomatic or mild symptoms. This system has helped us prevent infections at the household and community level, especially in areas where social distancing is simply not possible, ”said Cayetano.
The city currently has five quarantine facilities, including newly constructed structures and repurposed government buildings. Much has been made of the Lakeshore Hotel’s mega quarantine facility, where the “Mask para sa Masa” event took place. It can hold up to 500 patients when fully operational in three months. The structures guarantee the comfort of the patients. They are equipped with beds, partitions, air conditioning, bathroom, toilet and living room.
As of September 1, the average number of active cases for the entire NCR was 898; The average for Taguig was 591. In active cases per 100,000 individuals, NCR was 184 and Taguig was 60.
Taguig’s tally from Sept.6 noted that of 5,469 confirmed Covid-19 cases since Jan.27, only 463 were active cases, even below the 591 average. Some 4,962 patients have recovered and 44 died.
As of September 8, the city had a fatality rate of 0.83 percent. The NCR has 1.44 percent. The case fatality rate is the incidence of deaths among Covid-19 cases. Meanwhile, the attack rate, which tracks the percentage of the population that becomes infected, is 0.56 percent in Taguig. At NCR, it is 0.95 percent.
