The Department of Health-Center for Health Development (CHD) MIMAROPA reminds the public to wear the face mask properly as part of the prevention to fight against the new Coronavirus and other contagious and airborne diseases.
DOH-CHD MIMAROPA Health Education and Promotion Officer (HEPO) Romalyn Racho demonstrated the proper way during the recent “Kapihan” of PIA-Palawan.
With the situation, she said that the correct way of wearing a surgical mask is to put the white layer inside because it absorbs moisture while the colored layer should be the outerpart because it repels water—a two-way protection—“for yourself and the people near you.”
Asked should everyone need to wear face masks, Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Disease (EREID) Program Manager Cherry Ann Candava answered, “At ang paggamit din po ng facemask, gusto ko ri pong i-reiterate na nagbigay din po ang WHO ng advice na kailangan bang naka-facemask na tayong lahat? Kailangan din po…‘Use mask properly.’ So, ang atin pong in-advise na gagamit lang dun, pwede na ‘yung nangangalaga sa ating mga PUI.”
Assistant Regional Director Ma. Vilma Diez also shared that during her trip, she noticed that majority of the passengers wore masks. And because during the time the Philippines was an nCov-Free country, she commented that it is not necessary for everyone to wear masks, according to World Health Organization (WHO).
She also advised the public to calm down, do not panic, be vigilant and be empowered with the right information through listening recent news from the radio, or watch the latest news on TV, or read the newspaper in order to know the proper prevention and control of an emerging ailment.
“Pag nag-panic po ang isang tao, stress ‘yun at kapag na-stress ka, [magkakaroon ng] maraming asido ang [iyong] tiyan, magkakasakit ang tiyan [mo]. At kapag magkakasakit ang tiyan mo, magkakasakit ang kidney [mo], magkakasakit ang [iyong] liver. So, relax lang tayo! Hindi tayo dapat mag-panic,” she added.
DOH regional office also assures the Mimaropans that they will provide surgical masks and N95 masks to all provincial health offices, to be downloaded to their municipalities up to their hospitals.
Amidst the country’s first confirmed case on new Corona virus last Jan. 30, the Health Department said that they are doing their best “to halt the spread of the virus.”
As of this writing, there are 29 suspected cases of nCoV of which, 18 of them are recorded in Metro Manila, four (4) in Central Visayas, three (3) in Western Visayas, one (1) in MIMAROPA, one (1) Eastern Visayas, one (1) in Northern Mindanao and (1) also in Mindanao.
With the recent update, in the City of Puerto Princesa alone, some pharmacies and drugstores already ran out of masks, sometimes even if the product has just arrived. Their orders are mostly from malls, offices, and private individuals.
For instance, the management of Robinson’s Place Palawan has ordered all of their employees to wear masks as preventive measures and is also observed by other malls and offices in the city.