The provincial government of Apayao will continue its aggressive community testing to detect carriers of the Covid-19 using kits provided by the Department of Health.
In an advisory posted in its social media account, the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force (PIATF) said Apayao received an additional 3,000 reagent kits that will allow the province to swab test its residents.
“The Provincial IATF plans to undertake an aggressive community testing together with the municipal IATFs because of the surge in the number of confirmed cases in the province in the last two weeks,” the advisory said.
On Aug. 12, Apayao logged its highest single-day record of 125 cases bringing its active cases to 547.
The advisory added the PIATF is coordinating with the regional Office of Civil Defense for assistance in the conduct of swab testing in the targeted 7,000 individuals in the seven municipalities.
Aside from an aggressive contact tracing and testing, Gov. Eleanor Bulut-Begtang, in a statement, said they will continue giving Covid-19 vaccines.
“The provincial government of Apayao is set to heighten its Covid-19 vaccination drive with the arrival last night (Aug. 12) of 20,000 doses of Coronavac’s Sinovac vaccine allocated by the DOH for Apayao. The vaccines are set to be apportioned to the different municipalities,” she said.
A total of 18, 892 eligible individuals have been fully vaccinated in Apayao while 20,560 have received their first dose of the vaccine.
Begtang issued Memorandum Order 101-2021 also on Aug. 12 prescribing additional entry protocols for travelers, returning residents, and authorized persons outside residences (APOR).
“The Provincial IATF and the municipal IATF continue to implement strict measures as many of the cases are seen to be caused by incoming or returning residents and APORs with travels outside of their communities,” the governor said. – PNA
April 20, 2024
