Having been overwhelmed with the surge of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kalingaprovince, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ed Tandingan has recommended interventions that LGUs should introduce as part of their COVID-19 response.
According to Dr. Tandingan, health workers are always exposed or infected with COVID-19 such are the cases with the municipal health officers of Balbalan, Pasil, and Tanudan. On Human Resource for Hospital and Field Health Service Units, LGUs should heed the following:
-Organization and mobilization of PHO/PDOHO Vaccination Teams to augment LGU vaccination personnel especially for GIDA barangays
-Mobilization of health staff/workers from PNP, DepEd, NCIP, and other sectoral members of the PIATF
-Hire additional vaccinators and data encoders (per LGU using local funds)
-Hire additional contact tracers to augment the need to finish contact tracing of confirmed cases within 24 hours of infection
-Divide the hospital staff into teams that will rotate going on duty on a schedule that allows for proper monitoring and support to health workers in hospitals
On workforce environments concerning those from Non-Pharmaceutical Organizations, Dr. Tandingan recommends the following:
-Administrative control measures or work-from-home arrangements (skeleton force per office), and the strict adherence of no eating together at the workplace/job site
-Engineering control measures such as the use of polyvinyl/plastic screens, traffic flow (entry-exit), proper ventilation at worksites, use of air-purifying devices (e.g. use of HEPA Filter), proper use and sanitation of AC units, regular cleaning and disinfection of workplaces/job sites
-Webinars/virtual meetings to reinforce best practices around non-pharmaceutical interventions such as but not limited to proper use of face masks and face shields, proper physical distancing, when not to go to the hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 (people who have mild symptoms do not necessarily have to go to hospitals โ they might just cause further spread of the virus), procurement of PPEs, local governance measures, reactivation/mobilization of BHERTs and Barangay Tanods to monitor compliance to quarantine/isolation measures, enforcement of border regulations, enforcement of no non-essential gatherings, and granular lockdowns as decided by the local IATF
-Infection Prevention and Detection of MPHS enforcement such as the conduct of contact tracing and testing and procurement of Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Tests (Ag RDTs)
On workforce environments concerning those from Pharmaceutical Organizations, Dr. Tandingan likewise recommends the following:
-Treatment of COVID-19 patients (according to manifestations/symptoms felt by the patient) in the appropriate health facilities (TTMFs, Infirmaries, Hospitals)
-Use of proven meds and drugs for COVID-19 treatment such as remdesivir, dexamethasone, and tocilizumab
-Use of oxygen inhalation either through medical oxygen gas tanks or through oxygen concentrators (gadgets/devices) and its procurement
-Supportive medical treatment such as antibiotics as needed, IV FLuids, etc.
-Vaccination of target groups until 70% of Kalinga residents are inoculated.
(Courtesy: Province of Kalinga)
