The Department of Health – Caraga (DOH-Caraga) confirmed in an advisory that 2 cities and 3 towns in the region have confirmed “ongoing local transmission”.
The DOH identified the areas as:
- Buenavista, Agusan del Norte
- Remedios T. Romualdez, Agusan del Norte
- Nasipit, Ausan del Norte
- Cabadbaran City
- San Francisco, Agusan del Sur
- Surigao City
Earlier, four cities and municipalities together with Butuan City and Bislig City were declared to have ongoing local community transmission.
Caraga comprises five provinces: Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur; six cities: Bayugan, Bislig, Butuan, Cabadbaran, Surigao and Tandag; 67 municipalities and 1,311 barangays with Butuan as the regional administrative center.
The regional office of the DOH said it is closely coordinating with local authorities and national line agencies in preparation for their “surge capacity, testing, quarantine procedures and treatment protocols.” The LGUs were also reminded to strengthen their own contact tracing capabilities and to add more quarantine facilities to isolate suspect and positive cases.
Residents of these areas are reminded to follow minimum health standards to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. Those who have Covid-19 related symptoms like cough, cold, fever, sore throat, diarrhea and loss of taste and smell are enjoined to report to the nearest health facility for proper assessment and management. Rommel F. Lopez