Barangays 76-A, 23-C, Sasa, and Buhangin recorded the highest positive cases of Covid-19 among barangays in Davao City for the past 14 days traced mostly from locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and returning OFWs (ROFs).
The regional office of the Department of Health (DOH 11) bared the Covid-19 hotspots in Davao City with the highest cases from July 24 to August 6, 2020.
Dr. Raquel Montejo, Center for Health Development-DOH 11 head, in a virtual presser said the mentioned barangays with high cases comprised 80 percent of the total cases for the past 14 days.
“This is a cumulative case that we get the past 14 days, 80 percent of the total cases. We noticed that Buhangin ranked first and most of the cases involved health care workers, followed by Barangay 76-A particularly in Bucana area and Brgy. 23-C with 13 cases and also Brgy. Sasa. There is still transmission in Brgy. 23-C and also in Brgy. 76-A,” she said.
In terms of administrative district clustering, the top five with high number of cases are: Buhangin with 40 cases, District C with 24 cases, Talomo north and District A with 22, and Talomo Central with 19 cases.
Dr. Rachel Pasion, data management officer of DOH-Davao, said DOH 11 also noticed high cases of Covid-19 in Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, and Davao Oriental after the region opened borders to returning residents.
Pasion said in Davao Oriental, between March 12, 2020 to May 8, 2020, the province recorded a total of three cases only but after May 8, 2020, the cases climbed to 94 which comprised of ROF and LSIs; Davao del Norte had 10 cases before May 8 and since the return of LSIs and OFWs in the region, the province now has 146 cases.
The province of Davao Occidental, particularly in the town of Malita, likewise recorded high number of cases.
Angela Villareal, member of the health facility monitoring team of DOH 11, assured that despite the high cases in Davao Region, there are still available beds to cater to Covid-19 patients.
To prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed, DOH 11 has set up Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMFs) to cater the mild cases and preserve the makeshift isolation facilities for severe cases.
As of August 5, 2020, the region has a total of 860 TTMFs with a total bed capacity of 7,330 with an occupancy rate currently at 42.86 percent.
“This suggests that we still have these beds unoccupied, thus we can still quarantine identified mild Covid-19 cases, close contacts, LSIs, ROFs, and healthcare workers,” Villareal said.
In relation to hospital ICU beds, occupancy rate is at 56.7 percent and for hospital isolation beds occupancy rate is at 52.7 percent.
“This suggest that our critical utilization rate for our hospital is still manageable at this point in time,” she said.
