MINDANAO DAILY TRUTH. JUSTICE. PROGRESS.
S ince
Volume IX, No. 238
www.mindanaodailynews.com
Friday, March 13, 2020
1923
P15.00
NMMC rolls out measures as COVID-19 patient improving By MARK FRANCISCO Correspondent
THE lone COVID-19 patient in Mindanao currently admitted at state-run Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) in Cagayan de Oro City is in critical condition but improving. Department of Health (DOH) 10 director Adriano Suba-an reported yesterday that the 54-year-old male patient is receiving supportive treatment for pneumonia – just like most coronavirus cases elsewhere. Suba-an said the Pasig City-based patient began experiencing shortness of breath on February
24 and decided to seek treatment in his home province of Lanao del Sur. He was admitted on March 3 at an Iligan City hospital which initially diagnosed him with pneumonia. Because neighboring Cagayan de Oro City has better medical facilities, it was decided that the patient be transferred here and he was admitted here last March 7 where he was tested for COVID-19. By Wednesday evening, the Regional Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) results came back with a positive diagnosis, making the patient the See MEASURES, page 11
What we can learn from Taiwan’s response to Coronavirus The island employs an aggressive, well-planned answer that employs analytics to minimize the spread of disease. Taiwan’s Model for Coronavirus Response WITH CONFLICTING AND AT times contradictory messages coming out of the White House, the Dow Jones Industrial Average seesawing and even the most basic supplies such as hand-sanitizer in short supply, the United States – a country with a history of helping other nations conquer pandemics – got off to an agonizingly slow start in trying A mask-clad worker disinfects an area to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the Xindian district in New Taipei City on to contain coronavirus. COVID-19 March 9, 2020. (SAM YEH/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES) Wondering what an aggressive pandemic response looks like? Look to Taiwan, says Dr. C. Jason Wang, director of Stanford University’s Center for Policy, Outcomes and Prevention. Following the 2003 SARS epidemic, Taiwan dramatically built up its public health infrastructure to launch an immediate response to the next crisis. Well-trained and experienced public health See RESPONSE, page 7
ity Mayor Oscar Moreno (right) of Cagayan de Oro explains to the media the city government’s role in addressing the Coronavirus during a press briefing here on Thursday. Looking on is DOH-10 regional director Dr. Adriano Suba-an. photo by gerry lee gorit
Classes suspended in the wake of COVID -19 virus By CRIS DIAZ Executive Editor
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: Suspension of classes at all levels, in the Iligan City’s public and private schools takes effect Friday, a city official said. Jo Pantoja, the spokesperson of Iligan City Hall, said that City Mayor Celso Regencia issued the Executive Order Thursday on recommendation of the Iligan City COVID-19 Task Force. He said that the city’s COVID-19 Task Force has recommended the suspension of classes in Iligan City following confirmation of the first COVID - 19 patient who was initial confined at the Adventist Medical Center in Iligan City. “The suspension of classes in indefinite,” Pantoja said. Iligan City is 88 kilometers west of Cagayan De Oro City. Pantoja said that the City Mayor’s Executive Order also banned the holding of graduation rites in schools, public and private gatherings, including the holding of the city’s flag ceremonies on Mondays. According to Pantoja, the confirmation of the first positive See WAKE, page 11
Shoppers line-up in popular shopping malls in Cagayan De Oro to undergo “thermal scanning” prior to entry after the Department of Health (DOH) announced the first COVID-19 positive patient in Northern Mindanao. The patient is now confined in an isolation ward at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center. Malls, hospitals, government offices and hotels have employed “thermal scanners” for possible detection of persons with fever. A person registering a body temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit is referred to medical personnel. Photo by CRIS DIAZ, The Manila Times