DOH team visiting high-risk areas to check residents for COVID-19 symptoms

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7) — Residents at high-risk areas should expect a visit from members of the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) team for COVID-19 symptom assessment.

Health Spokesperon Maria Rosario Vergeire said Friday that the CODE team will prioritize the barangays in Metro Manila and Calabarzon which have recorded the most number of infections and clustering recently.

“We have prioritized areas where our CODE teams will go in the next two weeks. This is like priming the system,” Health Spokesperon Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online media briefing on Friday.

She said the CODE team will start off with the following barangays, which have recorded a high number of infections and clustering recently:

- Pinagbuhatan, Pasig

- Addition Hills, Mandaluyong

- Sucat, Muntinlupa

- Potrero, Malabon

- Pembo, Makati

- San Antonio, Parañaque

- Barangay 12, Caloocan

- Batasan Hills, Quezon City

- CAA/BF International, Las Piñas

- Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

“Pag merong strict lockdown, you have to go house to house. You have to identify all of those with symptoms, or all of those who had been exposed to a person with symptoms, or a person who was positive. Kailangan naa-isolate yan, kailangan nabibigyan ng edukasyon at impormasyon,” Vergeire said.

[Translation: When there’s strict lockdown, you have to go house to house. You have to identify all of those with symptoms, or all of those who had been exposed to a person with symptoms, or a person who was positive. They should be isolated, and given education and information.]

The government's target is to isolate residents with coronavirus symptoms as well as their close contacts, and to subject them to swab testing.

“Eventually, after these two weeks, iniisip namin na maipapatupad ito sa lahat ng mga (we are thinking that this will be implemented in all) high risk areas over the country,” Vergeire said.

READ: DOH says stopping use of rapid kits as screening test among the end-goal of two-week MECQ

Vergeire said there are enough people to do the house-to-house assessment. The CODE team includes local health officials, some from regional offices, national government and local government partners, and barangay health emergency response teams, Vergeire said.