‘We must keep our guard up’

A 40-bed temporary hospital that was being built at the Commonwealth Health Center’s old upper parking lot, called the Medical Care and Treatment Site, is now ready for use. It will be occupied by COVID-19 patients for observation and treatment in case there is a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases on the islands. The CNMI government hopes that this installation will not become necessary. (KRIZEL TUAZON)

The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. received additional medical supplies last April 24, via an Asiana Airlines charter flight from South Korea that will help expand the CNMI’s capacity to do mass testing for COVID-19.

The additional cargo includes 15,000 test kits, additional personal protective equipment for first responders and medical workers, and additional polymerase chain reaction testing equipment that will validate COVID-19 testing.

As of April 25, the CNMI now has 70 additional ventilators, medical equipment such as thousands of PPEs that includes 48,900 masks, 217,000 gloves, 12,725 isolation gowns, face shields and hazmat suits, and more on the way for doctors, nurses, and first responders, according to Gov. Ralph DLG Torres in a statement.

“We hope that in a coming day, or weeks, that we can implement our mass testing [to] instill some peace and make the community feel safe,” said Patrick Guerrero, the Governor’s Authorized Representative, in a Facebook livestream video that announced the arrival of the new medical equipment.

Guerrero said that this charter flight was the CNMI’s fifth such flight. He assured that CHCC and the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force will continue to “bring in what we need in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus.”

Warren Villagomez, the COVID-19 Task Force chairman, said the polymerase chain reaction testing equipment, or PCR, will help their efforts to do community-based testing. “That would make sure that the test kits that are being used out in the community will get back to the lab and are validated for testing,” he said, adding that the mass testing will begin “in a day or two.”

Additionally, press secretary Kevin Bautista said that the first wave of front-line and medical workers have been tested and will continue to get tested.

Torres himself assured that the CNMI will continue to be aggressive in its efforts to keep coronavirus transmission down. “This pandemic is filled with unknowns, but what is known is the aggressive response efforts we are taking to flatten the curve more than the rest of the world,” he said. “As CHCC and our team continue to strategize mass testing for our community, we must keep our guard up until we defeat this disease.”

Villagomez praised everyone involved in the effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the CNMI and thanked the Commonwealth Ports Authority for allowing the task force to use the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport as the main drop-off point for all equipment that’s being brought in for CHCC.

“Please continue to practice good hygiene, social distancing, and stay strong Marianas,” said Guerrero.

“Let’s continue to support our brave doctors and nurses, health care workers, first responders, their families, local and federal government employees, and private sector partners by staying home as much as you can,” said Torres.

The World Health Organization-Western Pacific Region, Pacific Island Health Officers Association also sent more PPEs and medical supplies for CHC’s health care workers and the CNMI’s front-line workers.

Also, the 40-bed Medical Care and Treatment Facility at CHCC’s upper level parking lot, will be opened today while the Alternate Care Site at Kanoa Resort in Susupe is expected to be operational by mid-May.

To date, the CNMI has 14 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, with one active case, 11 recoveries, and two deaths. According to CHCC’s official website, there has been 247 individuals released from quarantine.

COVID-19 in Guam

The Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services tested 37 individuals last April 23; 37 tested negative and zero tested positive. On the same day, one additional case was diagnosed by the U.S Naval Hospital Guam.

On April 24, one additional case tested positive for COVID-19 through the Diagnostic Laboratory Services and one tested positive through DPHSS.

These raise Guam’s overall count of COVID-19 cases to 141, with 128 recoveries and five deaths.

According to the Joint Information Center in Guam, one individual was diagnosed as a probable case. Although the individual tested negative, they have imaging findings that are consistent with COVID-19, display of typical COVID-19 symptoms, have epidemiological links to previously confirmed cases, and are being treated as a COVID-19 case.