12 PUV drivers in Davao City test positive for COVID-19 in ‘Swab Drive-Thru’
“This is one of the factors that could potentially spread the infection because the majority of us don’t own private vehicles, so the majority of the workers will have to rely on public transport,” Lopez said.
He added that even PUV drivers are vulnerable to the risk of getting infected due to their interaction with passengers, particularly those “asymptomatic” who ride the PUVs.
Lopez noted that about 90 percent of those infected with COVID-19 are “asymptomatic.
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The “Swab Drive-Thru” is a 12-day free swab testing that started last April 26 until May 8 for the taxicab drivers, van drivers, jeepney drivers, habal-habal or motorcycle drivers, tricycle drivers, bus drivers, other drivers of public ground transport vehicles, and motorcycle drivers of food and online item delivery services in the city.
In her Executive Order No. 22, Mayor Sara Duterte pointed out that the “risk of infection is associated with sitting in proximity to an index case, duration of time aboard, inadequate ventilation, consequential recirculation of contaminated air especially in air-conditioned public transport vehicles, the widespread use of potentially contaminated barriers to achieve social distancing and contaminated surfaces like handrails, doorknobs, seats, etc., and the countless number of possible infected passengers getting in and out of the vehicle.”
Lopez said they are contemplating on extending the “Swab Drive-Thru” because only 2,300 drivers had taken the swab test out of their target of 20,000.
As of May 4, the Department of Health-Davao reported 69 new cases, bringing the total cases to 23,613, with 874 active, 21,752 recoveries, and 987 deaths in the region.
Out of the total, Davao City, which has the highest COVID-19 cases in Mindanao, tallied 14,620 cases, with 356 active, 13,573 recoveries, and 691 deaths. Davao de Oro reported 1,583 cases, Davao del Norte with 4,149, Davao del Sur with 1,594, Davao Occidental with 232, and Davao Oriental with 1,435. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
