KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 24 March) – Health officials in South Cotabato are now employing the Chinese city of Wuhan, ground zero of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic, to fight the deadly and highly contagious virus.
Dr. Rogelio Aturdido, South Cotabato Integrated Provincial Health Office chief, reiterated Tuesday the appeal for the public to stay home, playing words with Wuhan as a slogan to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the province.
For health officials in the province, the Wuhan battle cry means:
Wash your hands regularly with soap
Use face mask properly, if needed
Have your temperature checked regularly, especially if you have fever
Avoid large crowds, practice social distancing when outside or better yet stay home if travel is non-essential
Never touch your MEN (Mouth, Ears and Nose)
“We don’t want South Cotabato to become like Wuhan, where the COVID-19 cases suddenly surged,” Aturdido told reporters.
The new coronavirus disease was first detected in Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei province, last December and has spread to 188 other countries.
As of March 23, the World Health Organization reported 334,981 confirmed COVID-cases and 14,652 deaths globally.
Wuhan had imposed a lockdown to contain the disease.
Starting Saturday, a lockdown was observed in South Cotabato, which is still COVID-19 free as of Tuesday morning.
There are 2,325 persons under monitoring (PUMs), with 774 completing the 14-day home quarantine, data from the provincial health office said.
The number of persons under investigation (PUIs) reached 27.
Sixteen have so far tested negative of COVID-19 and the rest still awaiting the results, it added.
“We will win this battle against COVID-19 if only we practice unity,” Aturdido said.
Rolly Doane Aquino, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office acting chief, said the provincial government is conducting disinfection operations in its 11 localities as part of the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the area.
He said that several companies and individuals have been contributing their resources to help combat the spread of the coronavirus disease in the province. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)