Recalibrating COVID-19 strategies during MECQ

The placing of the National Capital Region (NCR) and four other hotspot provinces (Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Bulacan) under another modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) will be a time that the government will use to recalibrate strategies in the fight against COVID-19.

With many sectors and industries closed once again under the MECQ and movement of people restricted mainly due to the lack of public transportation options, the Philippine government is hoping to curb the recent spike in the number of COVID-19 cases while taking the time to adjust and intensify its strategies.

In one of my recent media briefings, I was joined by two experts from the University of the Philippines, who pointed out that the two-week MECQ will save some 50,000 to 70,000 people from getting the disease by the end of August, having projected that our COVID-19 cases will reach 220,000 at the end of the current month if hotspot areas remained under the general community quarantine.

And so, part of the government’s plans is to take advantage of the MECQ period to intensify government strategies against the virus. Our National Task Force against COVID-19 has rolled out the second phase of our National Action Plan, which includes more aggressive testing, contact tracing, isolation and treatment.

With much improved testing capacity and an expanded testing strategy in place, more people will now be tested including those who are not medical or healthcare workers. Aside from essential frontliners who are being tested regularly as part of the previous testing strategy, others in the frontlines especially in declared special concern areas including security guards, sales ladies, public utility drivers, receptionists, as well as workers in tourist priority zones and in economic zones, among others will now be tested as well.

Also part of the expanded testing strategy is to test people in locked down barangays to catch the positive individuals early on and to minimize further the number of persons getting severely infected by the virus. Also, all persons with co-morbidities or existing diseases, per advice of their doctors, will be tested for COVID-19.

The government and the private sector are now exploring the use of pooled testing where one test kit can be used to analyze samples from a small group of people. Doing so, we will be able to test more people with the number of test kits that we have.

Intensified contact tracing is also on-going using the formula that one positive individual will have 30 to 37 close contacts, and that all of these close contacts will be subjected to PCR testing. With intensified tracing and testing, isolation capacity is likewise being strengthened with more isolation centers built and currently being constructed, and more hotel rooms being made available for the isolation of individuals who are asymptomatic and with mild symptoms.

Similarly, efforts to intensify treatment strategies, particularly the expansion of COVID-19 facilities and isolation and ICU beds are underway through the One Hospital Command. Under this strategy, the current construction, expansion, and conversion of several hospital buildings and wards for COVID-19-related uses are being hastened. To address the issue on overwhelmed hospitals and hospital capacity, the DoH is also asking public health facilities to increase hospital beds. To help manage and decongest hospitals, those who are asymptomatic and patients with mild symptoms

“The Philippine government is hoping to curb the recent spike in the number of COVID-19 cases while taking the time to adjust and intensify its strategies.

will be recommended to be admitted or isolated in temporary treatment and management facilities.

Meanwhile, to address some of the concerns raised by the medical community, particularly on the issue of burnt-out healthcare workers and the need for additional workers, the DoH will be creating substitution teams to allow healthcare workers in the NCR to rest, including augmentation of healthcare workers from DoH regional offices and from other parts of the country.

During the two-week period, the DoH will be working together with local government units to strictly enforce localized lockdowns, wherein active case finding will be done to catch those who have symptoms, those who need to be isolated, and those who should be tested.

However, these strategies will be all for naught if we as individuals will refuse to be part of the solution. We cannot anymore overemphasize the fact that all of us play an important role in the fight against COVID-19. Let us help one another and continue to protect ourselves, our families, and the entire nation by observing the minimum health requirements: frequent washing and disinfection of hands, wearing of mask and face shield, practicing social or physical distancing and staying at home as much as possible.

We can do it Team Philippines!

“Strategies will be all for naught if we as individuals will refuse to be part of the solution.