Mayor Benjamin Magalong sought an inventory and restocking of medical supplies in the city in preparation for the more severe and more contagious variants of Covid-19, particularly the Delta and Lambda variants.
The mayor said ensuring that the city will have enough reserve of medical apparatus including the crucial oxygen and oxygen tanks and medicines in its hospitals is part of proactive measures in case hospitalization increases because of the more severe and more transmissible nature of the new variants.
“We watched how people desperately lined up for oxygen in India and other countries. We must not wait for it to happen in our city. We have to learn from their experiences and we have to act for us to save lives,” the mayor said.
The mayor said he advised the medical community to stock up on these necessities ahead of time.
In the management committee meeting July 13, he instructed the City Health Services Office to do an inventory of available supplies not only in hospitals but also in the private sector.
He appealed to private groups and individuals who own oxygen tanks and oxygenerators and who are willing to lend these to the city government should the situation to enlist their equipment with the CHSO.
He also urged the CHSO to work out the procurement of oxygenerators and to establish linkage with suppliers where the city can immediately procure such medical needs when needed.
“We have to have a sense of urgency in these crucial times,” he said.
While there was still no Delta or Lambda variants detected in the country, the mayor refused to rest easy pointing out the limited capability of the country in processing specimens coupled with the lack of reagents and ancillary supplies.
The city mapped out strategies against the new variants, including setting up more isolation facilities and beds in anticipation of increased hospitalizations, due to the new variant’s propensity to cause more severe symptoms; and expediting vaccination, intensifying compliance to the minimum public health standards. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
April 19, 2024
