On the first day of the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III, together with COVID-19 czars Secretary Vivencio Dizon and Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega, checked on the situation of Navotas City and its efforts in managing COVID-19 cases. The officials were welcomed by Congressman John Rey Tiangco and the city’s COVID-19 response team headed by City Health Officer Dr. Christia Padolina.
As of August 3, the City Health Office of Navotas reported 662 active cases and a 13% positivity rate. According to Dr. Padolina, they experienced a surge of cases mid-July which prompted the city government to place some areas of Navotas under lockdown. Through the support of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), Navotas City was able to manage and decrease its cases through intensive testing and isolation measures.
“Thank you to the National Government and to the IATF for always supporting us and for donating test kits,” said Dr. Padolina. He also shared how their increased testing capacity and proactive isolation strategies helped curb down the city’s positivity rate from 30% to 13%. Duque and Dizon commended the city’s efforts and mentioned the practice as worth sharing to other LGUs.
On the same day, the Health Secretary also inspected the city’s swabbing center and isolation facility. He also visited Barangay Northbay Boulevard Dagat-Dagatan, a community placed under strict lockdown last July 16 to 29.
“We salute the city for doing a great job in its response against COVID-19. We ask for your assistance in delivering our message to everyone. This isn’t a war fought by the national government or the local government alone. Everyone has a role to play. Protect yourself and the people around you by strictly observing our minimum health standards,” Secretary Duque ended.
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