Manila to conduct virus tests in evacuation centres

MANILA: The government will conduct tests in the crowded evacuation centers to prevent the strong possibility of a rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a senior Malacanang Palace official confirmed on Tuesday.

Harry Roque, the presidential spokesman, said health experts agreed on the use of the anti-gen test which analyzes nasal and oral specimen and can yield results in 15 minutes to achieve their aim.

“I cannot ensure that all will be tested,” Roque said in a mix of Filipino and English. “But there will be testing in evacuation centres especially for those who have already exhibited COVID-19 symptoms.”

In particular, Roque said top priority will be accorded to evacuees considered as “high risk” sectors like senior citizens, pregnant women and those who have underlying ailments such as diabetes and hypertension.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Tuesday reports that 70, 784 families or close to 284,000 individuals have sought refuge in the 2,208 evacuation centers on the main island of Luzon which was ravaged by three successive typhoons, the latest of which was Vamco (local name Ulysses).

Such was the fury of Vamco, the NDRRMC said, that it brought massive floods that inundated wide areas in Cagayan Valley in the Northern Luzon highlands, and let many of the “barangay” (villages) isolated.

Earlier, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire warned there was “a very strong possibility” regarding the spread of the dreaded ailment in the overcrowded evacuation centers

Ideally, Vergeire said that there should only be one family to be accommodated in a tent or a room at such centers. But she noted that this has been overlooked to accommodate the alarming rise in the number of refugees which, in turn, resulted in overcrowding.

To help minimize the problem, safety officers have been assigned to the centers to implement health protocols especially the mandatory wearing of face maks and face shields as well as observation of social distancing and the ban on mass gatherings, according to Vergeire.

These officers, she said, will also help ensure the emergence of a flood-borne ailment called leptospirisis caused by droppings of mice as well as rainy season diseases like diarrhea, colds and fever.

Meanwhile, Vergeire reported that as of Monday, the number of confirmed COVID cases stood at 1,738 which brought the national tally to a total of 409,574 with 7,839 deaths and recoveries of 374,366.