PIA Davao Region

DAVAO DEL NORTE, Jan. 21 (PIA) --- “Do not bring your children to public places,” said Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Mitzie Lou Osabel of the Davao Regional Medical Center.   Dr. Osabel raised this warning in the Kapihan sa DavNor online taping during which she revealed noticeable increase in number of children being admitted due to  COVID-19 infection.  She was particularly referring to unvaccinated children under 12 years of age.   When protocol guards on children were recently lowered, Dr. Osabel noted the consequent rise in number of COVID cases among children not only in DRMC but also in private  hospitals which she has contact with as infectious disease specialist.   Basing on clinical cases, Dr. Osabel said some children found with COVID-19 were taken to hospitals due to diarrhea, chronic coughing, and fever.   A mother of still young children, she sadly noted seeing children in  malls and in other public places where she noted them tak...

DAVAO CITY, Jan 21 (PIA) – The Department of Health XI highlighted the recent policy shift of the government especially on quarantine guidelines due to the recent surge of cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) and some parts of the country. In a DOH virtual presser held Thursday, Dr. Rachel Joy Pasion of the DOH XI informed the updated guidelines on quarantine, isolation, and testing for COVID19 response and case management for the Omicron Variant. “Thru DOH DM 2022-0013, there were some revisions on the protocol as NCR experienced increase in the number of cases, there was a transmission of the virus which is 4.2% faster than the previous variants,” Dr. Pasion said. Said updated guidelines reduced the isolation period for asymptomatic, suspect, probable, or confirmed case with mild symptoms fully vaccinated individuals to at least 7 days from the onset of symptoms; partially vaccinated or unvaccinated persons to at least 10 days; fully vaccinated healthcare workers to quarantine ...

DAVAO CITY, January 20 (PIA)—The head of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the Davao Region Center for Health and Development bared that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been here since December 11, 2021 due to its high transmissibility and movement of people during the holidays, given the genome sequencing detected from the samples sent to the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center in Manila.   Dr. Rachel Joy Pasion, chief of the RESU of the Department of Health XI bared that out of the 35-specimen sent to the UP-PGC, five samples from Davao Region turned out to be that of the Omicron Variant. She revealed that all of these patients were healed, but through genome sequencing it was found out that their COVID-19 infection was caused by the Omicron variant. Pasion said the person referred to as case number four underwent RT-PCR swab test last December 11, 2021 with her specimen sent to the UP-PGC only last December 23, 2021 and confirmed the Omicr...

DAVAO CITY, Jan. 20 (PIA) – Two of the five Omicron variant cases in Davao Region have been detected in Davao Occidental, as confirmed today (Jan. 20) by the Department of Health Davao Center for Health Development.   In its press release, the DOH-XI bared that both are local residents of Davao Occidental with no travel history and have been tagged as recovered upon the release of the Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS) report.      Tagged as Case#4, the patient is a 28-year old female, fully vaccinated, who was swabbed for RTPCR testing last December 11, 2021 and specimen was processed at the SPMC Molecular Laboratory. Her specimen was sent to UP-PGC last December 23, 2021.   Case #5 is a 63-year old male, fully vaccinated, who was swabbed for RTPCR testing last December 16, 2021 and the specimen was processed at the SPMC Molecular Laboratory. His specimen was sent to UP-PGC last December 23, 2021.   Meanwhile, a 23-year old male returning overseas Filipino...

DAVAO CITY, January 19 (PIA) - Omicron variant was immediately declared as variant of concern by the World Health Organization in just 2 days after it was discovered in South Africa with a spike protein that has 30 mutations compared to Delta which has 10 mutations as Special Adviser to the National Task Force on COVID 19 Dr. Teodoro Herbosa bared during the Stop COVID Deaths online community webinar series, last Friday. “That’s the fastest ever that a new variant was immediately declared as a variant of concern, Dr. Herbosa said. The fast phase mutation of the Omicron variant led the government officials to declare a variant of concern due to the surge of cases happening in many countries. The Omicron variant has been plaguing in the US which had 1.1 million cases a day, United Kingdom is suffering 150,000 cases a day and now the new variant was pestering many regions in our country leading to the declaration of alert level 3. Even before the DOH declare Omicron caused the surge of ca...

DAVAO DEL NORTE, Jan. 12 (PIA) -- The Provincial Health Officer of Davao Del Norte Dr. Alfredo Lacerona said in an interview today that no cases of Omicron variant were recorded in the province yet. While the province has no medical equipment to identify the Omicron variant yet, Dr. Lacerona ensured that the Department of Health (DOH) - Davao Region always updates every area of new cases of these new variants of concerns in the region. Davao Del Norte logged 94 active cases of COVID-19 virus as of January 11, 2022, according to Dr. Lacerona in a radio guesting with Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Davao Del Norte today (January 12) with no cases of Omicron variants yet. He said that most active cases in the Province of Davao Del Norte recently are asymptomatic while others display only mild symptoms of the virus. Dr. Lacerona attributed this situation to the rising vaccination rate in the province. Despite being vaccinated, he reminded the province's citizens to still follow the...

DAVAO CITY, Dec. 16 (PIA) - The Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) for Davao Region Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles reiterated during his guesting in the One Davao Virtual Presser yesterday the need for the public to get vaccinated and continue the strict practice of the minimum public health protocols following the recent detection of the Omicron variant in two individuals now in the Philippines. Secretary Nograles, also the Presidential Spokesperson, shared that said variant is detected from a returning overseas Filipino from Japan who traveled to the Philippines last December 1 via Philippine Airlines. “He had cough and colds before but is currently asymptomatic. He is also under isolation,” the official said. Nograles also reported that another Omicron variant was detected from a Nigerian national who took his flight to the Philippines last November 30 via Oman Air. Said individual is also asymptomatic. The Department of Health (DOH), in a media release, ...