Lawyer Julius Ceasar Entise, EOC deputy chief for operations and head of Mandaue City’s contact-tracing team, is calling on the public anew to get vaccinated and protect themselves from severe symptoms of the virus. | Mary Rose Sagarino
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — The Mandaue City Emergency Operations Center is anticipating an increase in the COVID-19 cases in the city in the next two to three weeks.
Lawyer Julius Ceasar Entise, EOC deputy chief for operations and head of Mandaue City’s contact-tracing team, said that this was because more people would be going out of their houses after the city was again put under general community quarantine (GCQ).
“It’s a game of anticipation and there is nothing wrong of being able to anticipate,” said Entise.
Based on the COVID-19 bulletin board of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) on Thursday, Mandaue has 1,359 active cases.
The city was placed under GCQ since September 8 and would last until September 30.
READ: GCQ in Cebu, Mandaue could lead to stronger economic climate by year-end
Entise said he hoped that people would learn from their mistakes and avoid crowds and to always follow health protocols.
The newly completed step-down facility in Mandaue City will be used as an extension of the Mandaue City Hospital for COVID-19 patients with light symptoms. | Mary Rose Sagarino
With their anticipation of increasing cases in the coming weeks, he said that the city’s ‘step-down facility’, the extension of the city’s hospital that could accommodate 70 mild COVID patients would be a very big help.
READ: Step-down facility expected to boost Mandaue’s COVID response
He said that they were also doing aggressive contact tracing and widen the scope in the identification of potential contacts so that they would be tested.
The city’s contact tracers were already advised to treat every case as a potential delta case. They were also doing health education, among others.
Entise is once again encouraging residents to get vaccinated to protect themselves from severe symptoms of the virus and to lessen the risk of being hospitalized.
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