Pandemic response in US territories under scrutiny

A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives sat down with representatives of U.S. territories yesterday to hear how these far-flung American jurisdictions are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. House Natural Resources Committee chair Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ) wanted to hear about COVID-19 response from the perspective of the territories. He convened the Roundtable on the Federal Coronavirus Response in U.S. Territories yesterday in order for Congress to help local governments adequately address the world pandemic.

Territories, according to Grijalva, have a better understanding of the “world pandemic.”

“The territories face unique challenges based on geographic location, the unequal treatment under federal programs, and the dire financial situation,” he said. “The territories have been hit by severe natural disasters, including hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, and now, further weakening that the health care infrastructure and the economies, is COVID-19,” he added, and further highlighted the cumulative effect the territories have to experience, in terms of recovery and relief.

“I believe there’s more that needs to be done, and that merely one of the things that this virus has provided all of us, and I hope it provided everyone in Congress, is a perspective that as you go through and talk about recovery and relief, that there’s a cumulative effect when there has not been enough resources to a territory,” he added.

Despite this “cumulative effect,” the CNMI is in a good shape in terms of coronavirus response.

Vice chair Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) said that, while the Commonwealth was initially slow to recognize the severity of the virus, it has “since have done a commendable job keeping the virus at bay.”

In two weeks now, the number of COVID-19 positive cases in the CNMI has remained at 14, with two deaths and 12 recoveries.

“The measures that were set in place are working—the suspension of flights, the quarantine, the shutdown measures, the stay-at-home orders, public education on the need for hand-washing and so on, also all seems to be working, and I have really prayed that that continues,” he said.

Sablan also recognized Congress, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and a host of other federal agencies for providing critical assistance to the CNMI.

At the session, Sablan gave the floor to Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer Esther Muña, to talk about the COVID-19 response in the CNMI.

CHCC’s greatest challenge yet
According to Muña, the coronavirus is CHCC’s greatest challenge so far. She said that coronavirus prevention efforts in the CNMI, as well as screening patients for symptoms, began as early as January, with CHCC sending in its first specimen for COVID-19 testing in early February “nearly 8,000 miles away to Atlanta,” the result of which came back negative.

In March 28, the CNMI announced its first two positive cases, with 12 more cases confirmed since then. There are currently no active positive cases in the CNMI.

“In the past 40 days, with support from our governor, his task force, and CHCC staff, we have screened more than 500 walk-in patients for coronavirus symptoms; screened more than 1,500 passengers at the airport; identified and interviewed more than 215 contacts of positive cases,” Muña said. “[CHCC has] responded to more than 700 phone calls about the coronavirus; overseen the care and release of more than 250 individuals from quarantine and isolation; had more than 300 specimens have been tested, including more than 200 at our own lab and conducted more than 90 tele-consults with our patients.”

Muña also reported that community-based testing started in the CNMI three days ago, where samples from more than 400 people have already been collected.

“We have been vigilant, we have been effective, but we are still vulnerable,” she said. “The CNMI is uniquely susceptible to upheaval should we experience a larger outbreak. The virus undercuts the power of our social capital built on family gatherings, multi-generational households, and close relationship with our man’amko.”

CNMI needs assistance
The pandemic also revealed the CNMI’s non-communicable disease crisis, according to Muña, and is threatening to tear away the gains CHCC has made in the CNMI’s health care system.

“The CNMI government is shut down and is projecting a $65-million deficit. The islands’ schools closed, many public and private employees have been furloughed, skyrocketing unemployment, the retiree pensions is cut 25% rendering health care unaffordable for so many families,” she said.

Like Sablan, Muña acknowledged all federal partners, with Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and the COVID-19 Task Force, for the success that CHCC has achieved thus far.

“Thanks to the support from the governor and the COVID-19 task force, and the federal partnership with HHS and DOD through FEMA, and further supported by the CARES Act, we have been able to secure additional ventilators, PPE, laboratory equipment, testing reagents, established a temporary 40-bed care site, and a longer-term alternate care site,” she said.

“We have received help to assess our surge staffing needs and develop a territorial action plan. We can now test for the coronavirus on island, an ability that felt far from reach just one month ago,” she added.

Muña, however, stressed the need for continued federal assistance in its fight against COVID-19. “We have an ample supply of vision and determination but we need your help to establish a reliable, equitable supply chain for PPE and testing reagents. We need funding to keep our staff, including our robust contact tracing team, at work. We need support for the long overdue expansion and modernization of our 35-year-old hospital.”

Muña said that the CNMI government, with Sablan, are working hard to safely bring the rest of the CNMI back to work, and asked the U.S. Congress for help, for the CNMI to achieve that goal.