Draining the swamp: Ex-health chief warns vs failure to isolate coronavirus patients
Posted at Sep 01 2020 09:46 AM
MANILA – A former health secretary warned Tuesday local governments are failing to isolate COVID-19 patients immediately, saying some “90 percent” of those who contract the disease in Metro Manila are not “immediately brought to isolation.”
“If we identified already the positive and they’re not being isolated or taken cared of in terms of contact tracing, we’re not really draining the swamp, not getting to all positive cases,” former Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial, who now heads the Philippine Red Cross’ biomolecular laboratories, told ANC.
Separating virus patients was important to stop community transmission, Ubial said, citing Baguio City as a “good example” on how to prevent its spread.
“In epidemiology the science is there. You cannot test everyone, you have to focus, identify which barangays, communities are high-risk and then u focus your testing there,” she said.
Following the 2-week modified lockdown of Metro Manila and 4 nearby provinces last month, Ubial said government has placed more quarantine facilities and laboratories, and hired more healthcare workers.
“I think we’re getting better and hopefully soon the flattening of the curve, I’m still optimistic,” she said.
The Philippines as of Monday reported 220,819 cases of COVID-19, with 157,562 recoveries and 3,558 deaths.
