Due to declining trend in cases in Cebu: COVID-19 center stops operation

CEBU, Philippines —  The declining trend of COVID-19 cases in Cebu as a whole has paved the way for the Bayanihan Cebu - Sacred Heart School Field Center in Cebu City to suspend its operation, something that officials said is proof of the effectiveness of the local campaign against COVID-19.

The quarantine facility, which accommodates mild and asymptomatic cases, is the first to be established in Cebu City.

“Our collective efforts have paid off. The contribution of various sectors made this happen,” Secretary Michael Dino of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV).

In April, OPAV rallied the government and the private sector to come up with measures to prepare for the projected increase in the number of cases. This resulted in the creation of the Bayanihan Cebu PH.

“The (48-bed Bayanihan SHS) facility was built to address the congestion in Cebu hospitals caused by the rising cases of COVID-19,” said OPAV Assistant Secretary Jonji Gonzales told Laging Handa Network Briefing News.

Based on Bayanihan Cebu’s data, 99 patients have recovered at the SHS facility. On the other hand, 179 patients have recovered at the Bayanihan facility at the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) Convention Center, also in Cebu City, as of October 4.

The IEC facility has a 130-bed capacity and remains operational with only 11 beds occupied.

The SHS facility endorsed its remaining patients to IEC facility, “thereby maximizing the efforts of the medical healthcare workers of both Field Centers to treat patients in just one quarantine facility.”

The Bayanihan multi-sectoral partnership involved OPAV, Regional Development Council-7, DOH-7, Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, Society of Jesus of the Philippines, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cebu, Cebu Caritas Inc., LH Foundation Inc., and Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.

Dino made a special mention to businessman Edmun Liu who served as chairman of Bayanihan Cebu PH.

“We have to give recognition to the private sector, especially the businessmen who always make their initiatives possible for the general public. This is a very good example of a public-private partnership,” Dino said.

Aside from the establishment of the facility, the initiative also included provisional health care capacity, acquisition of personal protective equipment, and the conduct of mass testing to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 cases in the urban cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

Cebu City has two more isolation facilities, the NOAH Complex at the South Road Properties for asymptomatic patients and the Cebu City Quarantine Facility, which is still closed for renovation. Two schools have also been converted as barangay isolation centers.

Status

Last June, Cebu City was tagged as the country’s COVID-19 hotspot but with the help of the national government eventually managed to flatten the curve in succeeding weeks following another round of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

From as high as 3,852 active cases in a day, Cebu City only has 363 cases.

On the other hand, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue only have 89 active cases while Cebu Province has 417 active cases based on the DOH bulletin as of October 10.

DOH-7 also reported that Central Visayas now has a recovery rate of 89.28 percent as of October 8 and a capacity utilization rate of 13.3 percent (12.1 percent for regular COVID beds and 22.5 percent of ICU COVID beds) at hospitals.

The availability of different COVID-19 health care requirements is 78 percent for ICU beds; 67 percent for isolation beds; 70 percent for ward beds, and 74 percent for ventilators.

Model

Now, Cebu City has become a “model” for other cities in the country in terms of managing the COVID-19 crisis.

“In fact, we are bringing the best practices that have been done in Cebu to other areas in the Visayas to help them manage their rising cases of COVID-19. OPAV has been leading this initiative,” Dino said.

OPAV has shifted focus to Western Visayas upon the direction of President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Bong Go.

In partnership with the Inter-Agency Task Force for COVID-19 Visayas Chief Implementer Gen. Melquiades Feliciano, OPAV has been extending help to Region 6 in terms of improving laboratory capacity and implementing Emergency Operations Center in COVID-19 hotspot areas. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon, JMO