90.6 percent of deaths were unvaccinated while 0.6 percent were fully vaccinated
(Eagle News) – The province of Davao Oriental will be under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) starting Wednesday, Sept. 8 until 21 due to an “alarming surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths.”
The two-week ECQ was agreed upon by the Provincial Task Force on COVID-19 and all local chief executives of the province to address this surge. They said the increasing number of cases and deaths have already “started to overwhelm health and isolation facilities.”
Governor Nelson Dayanghirang, who chairs the Provincial Task Force on COVID-19, urged all mayors to do their share in responding to the pandemic, particularly in providing support to the healthcare frontliners. He also directed heightened law enforcement on the ECQ, and reminded the general public to abide by the ECQ guidelines.
Provincial Task Force on COVID-19 Action Officer Dr. Reden Bersaldo reported during an emergency meeting on Friday, September 3, that the surge of cases has placed the province under Alert Level IV, categorized with a high epidemic risk level.
As of Sept. 3, COVID-19 cases in the province have reached 5,653, of which 1,174 are active, a provincial statement said. As of Sept. 5, the active cases hit 1,204; recoveries were 4425 and deaths at 169. The total confirmed cases were 5,798.
Dr. Bersaldo said that the province has recorded a 286 percent increase in the number of cases in just three months.
The City of Mati and the municipalities of Baganga, Governor Generoso, and Lupon were “badly hit by the surge.”
Based on the province’s COVID-19 status report, Davao Oriental has a positivity rate of 14 percent while the recovery rate plummeted down to 75.2 percent. Case fatality ratio rose to 2.8 percent which is already almost double the national rate of 1.7 percent.
Bersaldo said that 90.6 percent of the deaths were unvaccinated and mostly with comorbidities while 8.8 percent already had their first dose. But he also noted that the “remaining 0.6 percent of the deaths were fully vaccinated.”
-Factors for COVID surge-
A provincial statement said “the presence of new variants, the unrestricted movement of the people, and the continuing disregard to the minimum health protocols are the main culprits for the surge.”
Dr. Bersaldo lamented the general public’s imprudent disregard for health protocols and lack of seriousness on the pandemic, citing social gatherings without using face masks and proper physical distancing.
“People just go on with their lives. But if you try to look at our hospitals and isolation facilities, it’s heartbreaking to see our health workers who are all very tired and almost giving up,” he said.
The ECQ to be implemented in Davao Oriental is not a hard lockdown. The ECQ will not be that restrictive, said a statement from the province.
“The only compromise is to limit non-essential activities,” said Dr. Bersaldo.
These non-essential activities include social gatherings, gambling, parties, and religious gathering, among others.
Other policies to be implemented under the ECQ include a curfew from 8 pm to 5 am, a 24-hour liquor ban, monitoring of establishments, and shortening the number of days for wakes.
Aside from the ECQ, the province will increase vaccination as one of the solutions to address the virus surge.
(Eagle News Service)