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- Davao City expands testing as it prevents another Covid-19 wave (Part 2)
- 5 rescued from sinking boat
- Davao City to create 6 more bike lanes
- Davao del Norte town probes alleged abuse, abduction of 4-year-old child
- Rare beetle species named after Davao City
| Davao City expands testing as it prevents another Covid-19 wave (Part 2) Posted: 18 Apr 2021 07:04 AM PDT (Editor's note: This is a two-part series on the Covid-19 situation in Davao City and what the local government unit is doing to manage it. Read the first part, Covid-19 in Davao City: A year after https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1891375/Davao/Feature/Covid-19-in-Davao-City-A-year-after-(Part-1)) AT THE start of 2021, there was a silver lining with the arrival of the Covid-19 vaccines. Davao City and other neighboring provinces in Davao Region have started the vaccine rollout beginning the first week of March, more than a week since the first batch of vaccines from Sinovac arrived in the country. At present, the region has prioritized medical frontliners and non-medical frontliners directly responding to Covid-19 patients in the rollout of Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines. Based on the vaccine statistics of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF) as of April 13, Davao Region has received a total of 103,600 doses from the national government as of April 7. The region is targeting to vaccinate 63,000 prioritized individuals. Of this number, 41,935 were already given the first dose. Of those who were given the first dose, 11,776 were vaccinated with the second dose. In Davao City, more than 14,000 healthcare workers from both public and private hospitals have been inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine since the first dose was rolled out. This is 63 percent of the targeted 22,000 healthcare workers in the city. Of the 14,000, about 4,557 already received their second dose of Sinovac's CoronaVac. The Department of Health (DOH) reported some medical workers were deferred due to various multiple health conditions like hypertension. Others were deferred due to pregnancy and some were manifesting mild symptoms of Covid-19. Despite the increasing number of workers wanting to be vaccinated, according to the national government, supply remains scarce as manufacturers are also having problems in production. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said early data suggesting fully-vaccinated people are less likely to spread Covid-19 looks promising, but "we're still learning how well Covid-19 vaccines keep people from spreading the disease" as well as "how effective the vaccines are against variants of the virus." Given this continued risk, medical experts deemed it is important that the government remains focused on other Covid-19 management strategies like testing. Targeted testing Testing has been a crucial part of the Covid-19 response in Davao City, especially during the early days of the pandemic, Davao City Health Office (CHO) Acting Head Dr. Ashley Lopez said in a Facebook live interview with SunStar Davao's The Talking Heads on April 9. "With or without the vaccine, ever since the beginning, the mayor is not dependent on the vaccine because the vaccine will not totally protect the person or the community against Covid-19," Lopez said, explaining that it will only make the virus less severe, but the risk of infection is still possible. With a population of around 1.8 million, the city has targeted to vaccinate some 1.2 million residents to achieve herd immunity. But with the scarce supply of vaccines, this will not be achieved anytime soon. "How can we be assured na mabakunahan ang (that we would be able to vaccinate those) 70-percent? We will not wait for that to happen. If we won't do anything, mudaghan gihapon ning kaso sa Covid[-19] sa Davao City (Covid-19 cases in Davao City will continue to increase)," Lopez said. While it is a relief that the Covid-19 cases in Davao City have steadily dropped in the past several weeks, Lopez said it is not something worth celebrating for now. In fact, he said the health cluster is still not convinced that Covid-19 cases are now manageable. This despite the city being classified by the IATF as a "low-risk city" due to the slow growth rate of cases. To validate the data and the situation on the ground, he said, the local government is on a "manhunt" to look for and prevent the clustering of cases within households, communities, and even in establishments. Davao City Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio signed Executive Order No. 18, series of 2021 (EO 18) for the heightened surveillance and response of Covid-19 in Davao City. The EO allows the local government unit to expand its testing and contact tracing capabilities to manage the Covid-19 situation in the city. Under the EO, the city will test and monitor those with influenza-like illness (ILI), which is defined by the World Health Organization as an acute respiratory infection with a measured fever of more than or equal to 38 degrees Celsius, cough, and with onset within the last 10 days. The health response clusters are also ordered to make a regular schedule of surveillance swabbing in high-risk areas without implementing the mandatory home quarantine post-swabbing such as but not limited to: business and commercial establishments (i.e. business process outsourcing, banks, restaurants, etc.); public places (i.e. wet markers, supermarkets, stores, etc.); and government offices. The city government piloted its surveillance swabbing in some establishments in the Uyanguren street area and the Calinan and Agdao Public markets. Three percent out of the 468 individuals swabbed during the city's surveillance swabbing in markets and selected establishments on Wednesday, April 7, tested positive for Sars-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19. Duterte-Carpio explained in a recent interview that the city started its community surveillance as wet markets are commonly known as high-risk areas when it comes to Covid-19 transmission. The city is currently expanding its community testing, this time, sidewalk vendors covering the downtown area. Expect that it will also be expanded to the community level, Lopez said. Aside from the heightened community swabbing, the city also expanded the mandatory swab testing of all close contacts, including the second and third-generation contacts of confirmed Covid-19 patients. According to the EO 20, which was issued on April 8, F1 contacts are those first-generation contacts of an RT-PCR confirmed Covid-19 positive case, while F2 contacts are those second-generation contacts of an RT-PCR confirmed Covid-19 positive case (close contacts of F1), and F3 contacts are those third-generation contacts of an RT-PCR confirmed Covid-19 positive case (close contacts of F2). "There is a need to recalibrate strategies to prevent and control Covid-19 transmission in the city due to the surge in cases in Metro Manila and other areas in the country and the emergence of new Covid-19 variants, despite the city continuing to experience a downtrend of cases," Duterte-Carpio said in the EO. With the expanded testing, the city is targeting to conduct 1,000 tests per day to know and determine the pattern and gravity of the Covid-19 transmission in the city. "Expect gyud ta daghan ta'g ma-swab, daghan ta'g ma-test (The more people we swab, we will be able to test more) and the target is about at least 1,000 tests per day. So kung daghan tang ma-test, daghan tag ma-detect na mga (when we get to do more tests, we would be able to detect more) positive [patients]," Lopez said. Since the City Government intensified its heightened surveillance and expanded its testing of all generation close contacts, the health official saw an increase in active Covid-19 cases in recent days. Lopez said they already tested almost 3,000 people, wherein nearly three percent tested positive. Majority of the patients, he said, have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic. Despite detecting more positive patients, Lopez said the city's daily positivity remains low with an average of 40 daily new cases reported. Also, based on their weekly data analysis, the city's reproductive number and growth rate remain low. "But the turnout of the surveillance swabbing we are having right now, is indeed, tinuod or nag-prove sa atoa nga ang atong kaso against Covid-19 (validated or proved that Covid-19 cases) in Davao City is slowing down," the official said. The city's daily positivity rate, based on the recent DOH data, is currently at an average of five percent, which according to the World Health Organization's set threshold is considered manageable. "The ultimate goal for this massive testing, and intensified surveillance is to zero in Covid cases in Davao," he said. Lopez said eyes to do more in terms of Covid-19 response so that it could gradually reopen the economy. With the delays in the arrival of vaccines and the threat of the new Sars-CoV-2 variants, we are not out of the woods yet. The city's expanded targeted testing is just among the strategies the city is implementing to prevent the second wave of Covid-19 cases. On top of this strategy, continued implementation of some movement restrictions plays a crucial role in managing the spread of Covid-19. To prevent people from gathering, several restrictions were extended like the 24-hour liquor ban, 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew, the mandatory alternative work arrangement for public and private offices and establishments, and non-essential establishments remaining. Residents of Davao City must also continue to follow minimum health protocols like wearing facemasks and observing social distancing. It is also important for them to cooperate in the Covid-19 testing and contact tracing efforts of the city and health authorities. There is a long way to go to bring down new cases to single digits or to zero. However, the efforts the city is implementing whether it is in contact tracing or testing will allow it to manage the Covid-19 pandemic properly while it waits for the arrival of more vaccines and vaccinated more Dabawenyos.  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| Posted: 18 Apr 2021 06:58 AM PDT FIVE passengers of a banca that submerged due to bad weather conditions were rescued by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) off Pujada Island in Mati, Davao Oriental on Saturday afternoon, April 17, 2021. In a report provided by the Mati City Information Office, the Mati City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said the passengers came from the Municipality of Lupon and dropped by their relatives in Barangay Macambol, Mati City where they boarded a banca going to the nearby Pujada Island. Upon their departure from Pujada Island around 3 p.m. and as they were passing by the Oak Island, huge waves battered their banca, causing it to submerge. The Davao Oriental Police Provincial Office received the information and readily contacted Philippine Coast Guard for rescue. Around four in the afternoon, the PCG reached the area and rescued the five passengers. The rescued passengers were identified as Jocelle Benidicto, 30 years old from Lupon; Jane Flores, 26 from Lupon; Joshua Aquino, 23 from Davao City; April Agualan, 25 from Lupon; and Jay Flores, 21 from Lupon. The five did not sustain any serious injuries and were transported back to their relatives in Macambol. According to state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Typhoon Bising (Surigae) was expected to make landfall and affect portions of Luzon and Visayas. Pagasa added that rough to very rough seas will be experienced over the eastern seaboards due to the typhoon in Bicol Region (2.5 to 4.5 meters), Eastern Visayas (2.5 to 6.5 m), Caraga (2.5 to 5.5 m), and Davao Region (2.5 to 3.0 m).  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Davao City to create 6 more bike lanes Posted: 18 Apr 2021 06:44 AM PDT THE Davao City government is planning to create more bicycle lanes in six areas in the city. This is in addition to the 27 new and upgraded bicycle lanes, in partnership with the Department of Public works and Highways-Davao Region (DPWH-Davao). According to the plan, the Davao City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) and DPWH-Davao will create bicycle lanes along the Carlos P. Garcia Highway (Diversion Road), Davao-Bukidnon Highway, Matina Aplaya to Ecoland Drive, C. Bangoy St., Ecowest Drive, and Tulip Drive. CTTMO chief Dionisio Abude said 27 roads in the city have new and upgraded bike lanes with the broken green markings, solid green markings, solid white lines and broken white lines. The broken green markings signal bicycle riders that they are approaching an intersection and the solid green markings are placed in the intersection. This is where the bikers wait before it is cleared to pass or yield for other vehicles. The space within the solid white lines is intended only for bikers to pass, while the broken white lines can be used by other vehicles but should not stay longer than necessary. Bike lanes outside the yellow box at the intersection mean that bikers are allowed to pass with caution even if the red traffic light is on. This is called "permissive Straight." CTTMO also placed signage for motorized vehicles and bicycle riders on the use of bike lanes on these roads. Meanwhile, Abude said the 19th City Council will continue to harmonize the safety provisions of the Bicycle Ordinance and the Traffic Code of Davao. He added that CTTMO is also prioritizing the establishment of the Bike Management Team to monitor the correct use of bike lanes in the city. "Dapat unta lagi naay disiplina. Wala man guy ma-disgrasya kung sakto lang ang imong paggamit sa kalsada, sakto ang imong speed, naa ka sa tamang lugar. Naa may gamay, minimal lang ang disgrasya, dili ingana ka serious o grabe kung ang tanan mo-follow sa regulations," Abude said. (There must be discipline. Accidents will not happen if roads are used correctly, you have the right speed and lane. If there is an accident, it will be minimal. It would not be serious if only everyone follows the regulations.) The creation of the bike lanes complies with the order of the Department of the Interior and Local Government urging all local government units to establish bicycle lanes in all local roads to support those who will bike to their work destination due to the reduced capacity of public transportation under the general community quarantine. Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, meanwhile, signed the suspension through Executive Order No. 40 series of 2020 or "An order providing for the suspension of bicycle registration, bicycle registration fees, and allowing the use of bicycle lanes in the City of Davao," which was publicly released on Friday, June 19. Meanwhile, the City Government urged cyclists to use the bicycle lanes marked by CTTMO. Persons on bicycles are required to wear a helmet, headgear or protective head covering. For those traveling at night, bikers must have reflectors, or headlights, or rear lights or any other warning lights attached to the bicycle or on his/her person. (RGL with CIO)  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Davao del Norte town probes alleged abuse, abduction of 4-year-old child Posted: 18 Apr 2021 06:39 AM PDT THE Municipal Government of Sto. Tomas, Davao del Norte is currently investigating a report of a four-year-old child who was allegedly abducted and sexually abducted after the news of it made rounds on social media. Sto. Tomas Municipal Information Officer Mart Sambalud said the municipal government expressed concern and condemned the continuous abuses committed against children. "Since this incident came to our knowledge, Mayor Ernesto Evangelista immediately ordered the Santo Tomas PNP [Philippine National Police] headed by PLTCOL [Police Lieutenant Colonel] Frederick Deles to probe the alleged incident of abduction and sexual abuse," Sambalud said in a forwarded statement. He said the child had been recovered already through the concerted efforts of the family, neighbors, and the police and is now confined in a hospital. The Santo Tomas PNP is currently investigating persons of interest in the case. Police noted that they could not state conclusively if the child was sexually abused since they have yet to receive the medico-legal report, although they are not yet ruling out such motives. Sambalud said Evangelista ordered the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) to provide the needed financial and food assistance to the family as it is aware of the "cruelty and dilemma" the family is facing. The MSWDO has also worked on the free hospitalization of the victim to ensure that the child gets the needed medical services for her recuperation, he said. The local government will also assist the family in the legal aspect of the case, including the filing of charges against the perpetrators. Meanwhile, Sambalud urged the public to be wary of sharing sensitive information online. "Due to the sensitivity of the case, we also remind the public that the family and the victims of sexual offenses as such in this case must be provided confidentiality and the Santo Tomas LGU is doing every effort to ensure their anonymity is preserved," the official said.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Rare beetle species named after Davao City Posted: 18 Apr 2021 06:30 AM PDT RESEARCHERS from the University of Mindanao's (UM's) Coleoptera Research Center have named a new and "rare" species of beetle after the City of Davao and published its findings in reputable scientific journals. Labeled as Metapocyrtus (Orthocyrtus) davaoensis, the beetle was discovered during an expedition under the "Urban Biodiversity Research and Conservation of Davao City" project by UM's Dr. Analyn Cabras, Dr. Milton Norman Medina, and their partner researcher, Dr. Maurizio Bollino. The project was funded by the Commission on Higher Education's Dareto program. The new species is set apart from the rest of its congeners or beetles in its same category by the unique patterns of its body. Metapocyrtus (Orthocyrtus) davaoensis is considered a rare find as it is a species of beetle that has managed to survive in the rapidly dwindling green spaces of Calinan. "It is often not a surprise to find new species in heavily forested areas, but disturbed and farmed areas are often not the best place for discovery of new species," Dr. Cabras said in a statement regarding their discovery. The discovery of this new species in the heart of the urban jungle of the city reiterates two important points, according to the team: first is the lack of scientific studies on insects; especially beetles, even as new species are being discovered in urban areas. Second is the immediate need to conserve the remaining green spaces of Davao city which is one of the main objectives of the Urban Biodiversity Research and Conservation of Davao City project led by Dr. Medina. Beetles, and all endemic creatures for that matter, are important indicators of the health of an ecosystem. The researchers hope that through this discovery, it will bring to the attention of local government policymakers that supporting basic research in biodiversity and the conservation of the remaining green spaces of the city are priority matters. Discovering new species of beetles adding to the country's rich biodiversity is not new to the Coleoptera Research Center and UM's Research and Publication Center; which has been publishing their findings of new species of beetles since 2016, including Metapocyrtus willietorresi, a new beetle species named after UM's president Dr. Guillermo P. Torres Jr., as well as the discovery and publishing in scientific journals of Hoya indaysarae, a new flower species named after Davao City Mayor "Inday" Sara Duterte-Carpio. (PR)  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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