DOH: 23 provinces never had a COVID-19 case; 41 provinces in all COVID-free in last 2 weeks

A list of provinces which have not posted a COVID-19 case in the last two weeks, based on data from the Department of Health (Courtesy DOH)

 

(Eagle News) – There are at least 23 provinces in the country which never had a COVID-19 case since the outbreak started, according to data from the Department of Health.

The 23 provinces are part of the 41 provinces that did not record a new coronavirus case in the last two weeks, particularly from April 21 to May 4, the DOH said.

The 23 provinces which never had a COVID-19 case so far are the following: Agusan del Sur, Apayao, Aurora, Basilan, Batanes, Biliran, Camarines Norte, Davao Occidental, Dinagat Islands, Eastern Samar, Kalinga, Masbate, Mountain Province, Quirino, Sarangani, Siquijor, Sorsogon, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay.

The other provinces which did not report a confirmed COVID-19 case in the past two weeks or from April 21 to May 4 are the following: Abra, Aklan, Bohol, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Capiz, Catanduanes, Compostela Valley, Cotabato, Davao Oriental, Ilocos Sur, Maguindanao, Negros Oriental, Northern Samar, Pangasinan, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Zambales.

The Department of Health (DOH) said that the absence of COVID-19 cases in these 41 provinces in the past two weeks was a good sign that the Philippine government through its quarantine and lockdown measures is preventing the spread of the disease.

“No new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in 41 provinces across the nation over the course of the last two weeks, making the Department of Health (DOH) optimistic that the current measures to control the infection spread are effective,” it said in a statement.

-DOH: With flattening of the curve, no time to be complacent

The DOH and other health experts also noted the indicators of the seeming flattening of the COVID-19 curve in the country because of the slowing of the doubling time for cases from three to seven days, as well as the doubling time for COVID-related deaths.

Health Undersecretary Dra. Maria Rosario Vergeire said that despite this good news, and the indicators on the seeming flattening of the COVID-19 curve, this is no time to be complacent.

“Sa napipintong pag-angat ng lockdown sa ibat-ibang bahagi ng Metro Manila at pagbabalik-trabaho ng karamihan, mahalaga ang kooperasyon ng bawat isa sa pagsunod sa mga health protocol upang maiwasan natin ang isa pang outbreak at mabalewala ang ating pinaghirapan nitong mga nakaraang linggo ng lockdown,” she said.

(In the nearing lifting of the lockdown in different parts of Metro Manila and the return to work of many, the cooperation of each of us in following the health protocol is important to prevent the occurrence of another outbreak, so that our sacrifices these past weeks of lockdown would not be for naught)

DOH said that proper physical distancing, sanitizing of workspaces, identification of symptoms, and trained-use of PPEs are critical practices outside of testing that will greatly inhibit the spread of COVID-19.

“These measures are largely successful at containing the virus while the country solidifies its testing capacity,” Vergeire noted.

(Eagle News Service)