Cagayan

Vaccination roll-out in Tuguegarao City. PIA PHOTO BY OLIVER T. BACCAY, PIA TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (May 4)—The Department of Health (DOH) Region 2 has resorted to the creation of a vaccination team network to augment and assist existing teams in the field. Joyce Maquera, DOH Vaccination focal person, said that the region has already inoculated 48,095 individuals since March 2021 with either CoronaVac and AstraZeneca vaccines which recorded a 67.32 percent consumption rate only. She also said that there were only 36,030 health workers inoculated from the 76,188 targeted individuals master listed under the A1 priority. "The factors identified affecting low consumption coverage include the delay or disruption of vaccinations due to lack of manpower. Moreover, some of the vac...

Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba urges local officials of barangays to establish their respective isolation facilities to avoid imposing home isolation for coronavirus disease 2019 positive cases. (PIA PHOTO) BY OLIVER T. BACCAY, PIA TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (April 22)—Governor Manuel Mamba has urged all barangay officials in the province of Cagayan to establish their respective community isolation facilities to accommodate positive cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Mamba said that the barangays which have established their isolation facilities earlier should also strengthen and expand further their facilities to accommodate more of those who tested positive and help avoid the imposition of home quarantines amid the spike in Covid-19 cases. "Let us help one another. T...

Mayor Cristina Antonio says they allot P6 million in funds to purchase their vaccines versus coronavirus disease 2019. PHOTO FROM MAYOR ANTONIO FB ACCOUNT BY OLIVER T. BACCAY TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (April 20)—The Local Government Unit of Alcala has allotted P6 million to procure vaccines against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Alcala Mayor Cristina Antonio said the aforementioned amount was determined to purchase doses of vaccines that can benefit at least 5,000 individuals. "We are requesting the national government to help us purchase our vaccines at the best price. This is also our contribution to the thrust of the government to protect the people versus Covid-19," Antonio said. She also stated that the healthcare frontliners on the municipal level were alread...

BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya (April 17)—At least 516 individuals in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) who received Coronavac and AstraZeneca vaccines experienced minor adverse effects but are now in stable condition, according to the Department of Health (DoH). Joyce Maquera, DoH Region 2 vaccination focal person, said these individuals were among the 24,209 who received the said vaccines since the start of the government vaccination program called “Resbakuna.” “Those who had minor adverse events are now in stable condition. Side effects are normal. A sign the body is building protection from the dreaded disease,” Maquera explained. She said discomfort from fever or pain is normal in most cases and there is only need to ask for assistance from a healthcare provider whe...

BY OLIVER T. BACCAY TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (April 16)—The provinces and cities in the mainland Cagayan Valley region are already on critical and high-risk epidemic classifications, signifying a red alert status on the region’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) attack rate and growth change. Shiela Marie Villamil of the Department of Health in Region 2 reported that the cities of Cauayan and Ilagan, as well as the province of Nueva Vizcaya, are now under critical epidemic risk status as they have registered over 200 percent growth change in their Covid-19 cases recently. She also said provinces of Cagayan, Isabela and Quirino as well as the cities of Tuguegarao and Santiago are also on a high risk classification level. "Only Batanes is under a low risk classification with o...

BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya (April 13)—Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba was given a Sinovac jab on Monday at Kamaranan Hall in Tuguegarao City following the decision to allow local chief executives in high-risk areas to get vaccinated. Mamba’s first dose of vaccine was administered by Dr. Rhea Bernadette Danguilan, Cagayan province’s medical officer. It was the National Inter-Agency Task Force that has allowed local chief executives belonging to high-risk areas of Covid-19 be vaccinated, according to Danguilan. She said the governor is also considered a frontliner since he is a licensed medical doctor by profession, a senior citizen and has comorbidities such as asthma, hypertension and diabetes. Mamba said he went through five steps in the vaccination process suc...

BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya (April 10)—Tuguegarao City, the newest Covid-19 epicenter, has recorded 724 active cases as of Wednesday, prompting the local government to place the city under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) status. “The city’s ECQ status will only be for 10 days but due to the significant increase of Covid-19 positive cases since March, the ECQ status was extended until April 12,” Dr. James Guzman, city health officer, said. Guzman added that the city has already recorded 2,572 confirmed coronavirus cases with 28 deaths since last year. “Our isolation facilities are already full. We have several community transmission cases in which the majority are our frontliners and those working in government institutions,” he said. The city government...