Año to LGUs: Form more contact-tracing teams

INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año has directed local government units (LGUs) nationwide to organize more contact-tracing teams, noting the importance of these in the reduction of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.

Año said the teams should submit a daily report to the COVID-19 provincial and regional task forces.

The teams are composed of personnel from city or town police station, health office, fire protection, disaster risk reduction management office, health worker, and from the barangay health response team and public safety office.

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Año said the teams play an important role in reducing the number of COVID-19 cases in the country as identification and monitoring of those who have had contact with COVID-positive patients depend on these.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, concurrent spokesman if the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), said the Philippines has officially adopted the use of the new classification of persons who are confirmed or suspected to have been infected with COVID-19.

Nograles said the decision is contained in the IATF Resolution 24 which states that patients under investigation (PUIs) with mild, severe, or critical symptoms whose results have not yet been released are now categorized as “suspect” cases, while PUIs with inconclusive test results are classified as “probable” cases.

He said the persons under monitoring (PUMs), or those who are not exhibiting symptoms despite exposure to a COVID-19 patient, would still be referred to as PUMs. PUMs would still be reported and managed.

The DOH released the new classification on April 11 but said “PUM” and “PUI” will no longer be used. — With Jocelyn Montemayor

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