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CNMI’s newest case is a child
An arriving passenger on a United Airlines flight from Guam last July 16 tested for COVID-19 last July 17. This time, it is a child, according to Esther Muña, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer. The latest case brings the CNMI’s total number of cases to 37.
Muña said the child is asymptomatic and was identified through the incoming traveler screening protocol. Though there’s no confirmation as to how old the child is, the CHCC dashboard on its website (https://chcc.gov.mp/) shows that the child is between the ages of 1 to 10. The child’s mother tested negative for COVID-19, according to CHCC, and that they are safely isolated at the Kanoa Resort quarantine site in Susupe where CHCC has already initiated contract tracing for the immediate contacts, which includes passengers on the same flight, close family members, and friends. The newest positive case was announced last Friday.
With the number of COVID-19 cases creeping up, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres has renewed the declaration of state of public health emergency for another 30 days. The CNMI will continue to be at the Level Blue of the community vulnerability ratings.
To date, the CNMI has 37 confirmed positive cases, with two deaths.
Solar power project
According to CHCC Hospital Emergency Preparedness director Warren Villagomez, the first phase of CHCC’s solar initiative project has been completed.
Due to COVID-19 issues, he added, there has been a slight delay in the installation of the interconnection transformer. At the moment, the solar power system is not yet providing power to the hospital. According to Villagomez, when everything is ready, the system will supply power to the hospital’s intensive care unit, emergency room, and the operating room. Villagomez added that they have been working with the U.S. Department of the Interior and other funding sources to move forward with phases 2 and 3.
Due to lack of funds, CHCC divided the solar power project into three phases. Muña said that funding from U.S. Department of the Interior allowed them to seek other sources to complete the project.
In 2018, CHCC received $560,000 from the U.S. Department of the Interior for phase 1 of the project.
