Tag: contact tracing

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On the Recent Surge of COVID Cases

Image Courtesy: CNN Philippines

It is alarming and it should concern our health authorities.

Aside from the existing health protocols which Filipinos have already grown accustomed to, contact tracing is key: first, to determine the specific areas where the surges occur or are evident, so that extra control measures and closer supervision can be instituted immediately.

This is where the role of the local government units (LGUs) becomes indispensable since they are the closest to the potential spreaders – not to mention their familiarity with the people in their localities.

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On Sec. Duque’s Fitness to Stay as DOH Chief

It is not only me who disagrees with the President for not firing Secretary Duque. There were 14 senators who had earlier asked him to resign. I don’t think that number has changed.

Many others in the DOH and the medical community also want him to resign or be replaced.

Having said that, I couldn’t understand what “amulet” or magic potion Duque has as far as the President is concerned.

His failure to do a simple contact tracing on the co-passengers who took the same flight as the virus-infected couple from Wuhan, China, further aggravated by his refusal to assume responsibility by blaming other agencies of government when it was his duty to coordinate that effort was his first major offense in a series of devastating blunders.

All these being considered, it is not difficult to understand why we are in this mess.

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#PINGterview: Addressing Catriona Gray, Other Critics on Anti-Terror Bill

In an interview on DZRH, Sen. Lacson answered questions on:
* criticisms vs Anti-Terrorism Bill, including high-profile personalities [24:23]
* how National ID system can speed up contact tracing [21:45]

QUOTES and NOTES:
Continue reading “#PINGterview: Addressing Catriona Gray, Other Critics on Anti-Terror Bill”

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Simple, Cheap and Effective: Contact Tracing Solutions from LGUs that the DOH Can Adopt

contact tracing

Simple technologies that we now take for granted may yet be the biggest help in fighting the spread of COVID-19, as shown by the initiatives of at least two local governments.

In Carmona, Cavite, the local government under Mayor Roy Loyola has developed a contact tracing app – the Carmona COVID-19 Tracker. The app, which works on Android and iOS, can use the mobile phone’s GPS to track users’ location history.

The app allows users to log interactions with other people; and do self-assessment if they experience symptoms. In just a few days of implementation, the local government has already signed up 42,000 out of the municipality’s 97,557 residents. For those without smartphones, the local government’s barangay and police personnel can input the information for them.

Meanwhile, in Baguio City, the local government under Mayor Benjamin Magalong is doing contact tracing using the EndCovid-19 system, which relies on the geographical information system (GIS) platform to plot the areas where possible COVID-19 carriers live – similar to that which he introduced when he was Cordillera regional police chief.

Combined with cognitive interviews and analytical tools, the system has made Baguio City a model for contact tracing.

With these technologies, we can potentially save P11.7 billion being asked by the Department of Health for contact tracers. I share Senate President Vicente Sotto III’s sentiment that there are more practical uses for the amount. These may include livelihood programs for those affected by the COVID-triggered lockdowns, among others.

Our national agencies, including the Department of Health, need not look far for contact tracing solutions that are effective, yet are not intrusive. Instead, they must take a cue from our LGUs. Especially given our limited resources, they can do no less.

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On the Proposed Mass Hiring of Contact Tracers

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, one of the few sensible souls in the Cabinet, has proposed to prioritize the hiring of contact tracers en masse to boost efforts to stop transmission and provide jobs to stimulate the economy through spending.

Contact tracing is a key first step in addressing the COVID-19 threat. It should provide the baseline data or reference on who to test. Without it, our mass testing will be like shooting at the moon or running around like headless chickens.

Kung maipapatupad ang mungkahing ito nang maayos, maaari nating lutasin agad ang dalawang problema.

Ang bagay na ito ay nasa kamay na ng liderato ng Department of Health: Maiimplementa kaya nila ang mungkahi ni Secretary Dominguez?

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