Davao City’s Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMFs), with a total bed capacity of 2,674, are being readied for the looming COVID-19 surge amid the rising positive cases recorded at the start of the new year.
Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, during the Special Hours program aired over 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) on Monday, January 10, said the health group of the COVID-19 Task Force
has presented the preparations for the impending surge of COVID-19 cases that she attributed to social gatherings that took place during the Christmas holidays.
“We are experiencing an impending surge, andam na tanan (everything is ready),” the mayor said.
Davao City has a total of 433 active COVID-19 positive cases as of Sunday, January 9.
From zero reported COVID-19 cases on January 1, 2022, Davao City had two cases on January 2; 16 on January 3; 32 on January 4; 24 on January 5; 67 on January 6; 99 on January 7; 120 on January 8; and 77 on January 9.
Mayor Duterte said, “Manageable pa sya because ang atoang TTMFs kaniadto during the Delta surge naa gihapon sila. Atoa lang sila gi temporary shutdown tong wala nay patients but we opened up again for the impending surge. Andam napud tanan (It’s still manageable because the TTMFs we used during the Delta surge are still available. We just had them on temporary shutdown when there were no patients anymore but we opened them up again for the impending surge. Everything is ready).”
The city’s TTMFs, according to her, are currently in varied utilization rates with some at 65 percent, others at 75, or 78 percent.
“As we experienced also sa last surge nato, when we come to a point na 75 percent na atong occupancy, we will do home isolation na for positive cases na asymptomatic and mild (As we had experienced in our previous surge, when we come to a point that we reach an average of 75 percent occupancy in our TTMFs, we will do home isolation for positive cases that are asymptomatic and mild),” she said, adding that this may, however, change depending on the policy direction of the Department of Health (DOH).
Mayor Duterte also said the bed capacity during the Delta surge is the maximum that the city can provide.
She continued, “Mao gihapon atong capacity, dili na nato mapasaka. Tong sa Delta surge, we wanted to increase beds pero wala tay health workers. Hangtud diha lang gyud na sya kung unsa lang atong nakita sa Delta surge. That’s the reason why mag-ingat gyud tanan.
Na-expand na nato sya hangtud sa kakayanan nato sa atoang Covid response (Our bed capacity stays the same, we can no longer increase it. During the Delta surge, we wanted to increase beds but we lacked health workers. That’s our limitation, what we had seen during the Delta surge. That’s the reason why we must take extra care. We have already expanded up to such capability our COVID-19 response).”
She then reminded Dabawenyos to continue adhering to COVID-19 protocols such as wearing of face mask, social distancing, frequent handwashing, and vaccination with a booster shot. CIO