Leyte IATF steps up efforts in fight vs COVID-19

PALO, Leyte, April 30 (PIA) — The Leyte Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force for COVID-19 has intensified its efforts to combat COVID-19.

This, after the Department of Health in Eastern in Region 8 (DOH-8) reported the second positive case of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Burauen, Leyte.

Leyte Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Lesmes Lumen said, local health workers in the province in coordination with DOH in the region have stepped up the contact tracing to individuals who had close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients in the said municipality and nearby areas.

The task force sought an expanded testing to individuals who belong to patients under investigation (PUIs) now classified as suspect cases for COVID-19 and those with flu-like symptoms to immediately detect the infection and respond to the threat of COVID-19.

“Actually it’s not mass testing, it’s an expanded testing. Ibig sabihin tenetest namin ang mga tao na na-belong sa PUI at saka yung may mga flu-like symptoms na inirereport sa amin,” Lumen said.

Lumen said the task force went to Burauen where they zeroed-in on two barangays and in Tanauan Leyte.

It was reported that the COVID-19 patients from Burauen had contacts with some individuals before they tested positive for COVID-19.

Samples of some 70 individuals were sent to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu for confirmatory testing, Lumen said.

As of April 30, DOH-8 Regional Director informed in a virtual presser that they are expecting on May 1 the results of the recent batch of sample specimens sent to VSMMC in Cebu. (ldl/cba/PIA-8)

source https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1040646