Nine ‘PUIs’ have yet to be tested: NMMC

By JOEY NACALABAN,
Correspondent

NINE people quarantined at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) would remain in isolation in the state-run regional hospital indefinitely because the government is running out of Covid-19 testing kits, the hospital’s chief, Dr. Jose Chan, said yesterday.

Another obstacle now is the strict policy on travel imposed by the government in Luzon.

According to Dr. Ellen Santua, development officer of the Department of Health (DOH) in Region 10, health officials here were having difficulties in bringing blood samples of the patients to Metro Manila for laboratory tests because of the unavailability of airplanes.

“As of now, gapangita pa mi’g paagi nga maka-coordinate mi sa taga-airport para makagamit mi og plane nga muhatod sa mga dugo,” Santua said.

Health officials here also complained about their insufficient medical equipment here.

Mayor Oscar Moreno earlier said he wrote to Health Secretary Francisco Duque and asked that the national government put in place a Covid-19 testing center for northern Mindanao in the city. He said he also requested Duque to send enough people for the proposed laboratory.

Meanwhile, two physicians and nurses who attended to the man from Lanao del Sur who died of Covid-19 on Friday have gone on self-quarantine as part of the health department’s protocols, according to Dr. Chan.

The NMMC has so far discharged 29 “persons under investigation” or PUIs. They all tested negative for Covid-19.

DOH assistant regional director Dr. David Mendoza said there was only one Covid-19 case in northern Mindanao — PH40 who succumbed to the disease on Friday.

Dr. Lorraine Nery, acting city health officer, said the surge in the number of “persons under monitoring” or PUMs should not be a cause for alarm. She noted an influx of people from Manila and other parts of the country into the region via air and seaports.

Nery said PUMs are not the same as  PUIs. The former do not have Covid-19 symptoms unlike PUIs in the NMMC.

She said city hall and Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (Bherts) have been activated to monitor PUMs, especially those coming in from travels abroad or outside the city.

“We should not be shocked if we have increasing PUMs undergoing home quarantine,” she said. “We have trained personnel who will handle these cases.”

Every barangay is mandated to identify barangay isolation units based on a Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) advisory.

PUMs who cannot do isolation in their homes, can use the isolation provided by the barangay, Nery said.

Everyone who traveled from Manila are to report to Bherts for self-quarantine or home quarantine, Nery said

The DOH said PUMs are advised to do home quarantine for 14 days. If they begin to show Covid-19 symptoms, then they need to inform the Bherts so they can be given proper medical care. (with reports from PIA)