‘Possibility of community spread not a big surprise’

Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer Esther L. Muña assured that the CNMI’s COVID-19 protocols are working and the CNMI’s health leaders acknowledge that a risk of spread will always exist as the CHCC and the COVID-19 Task Force continue to work to protect the community from COVID-19.

“We knew that there was that possibility of getting a case [of community spread] here in the CNMI, so this is not a big surprise. It is a surprise, but it is not a surprise that will require everything to stop,” said Muña during Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ regular radio news briefing last Saturday.

In the same news briefing, COVID-19 Task Force chair Warren Villagomez said the CNMI’s COVID-19 situation is always evolving, and he assured that the existing accommodations at the quarantine site at Kanoa Resort Saipan are adequate.

“Things are evolving, investigations are ongoing, as well as efforts to make sure that we have ample accommodations at Kanoa. …Nevertheless, we as people here in the CNMI [are] asking everyone to continue to adhere and follow the three W’s: wear your mask, wash your hands keep the distance,” said Villagomez.

Ahead of Halloween and All Soul’s Day last weekend, Villagomez said that he and the task force have not planned to take any swift action on community events. “We are not planning to do any swift community action at this time. All Soul’s Day is still as planned [and] Halloween trick-or-treating is still ongoing. We are adding more enforcements out there to make sure that we don’t take away these events from our community,” he added.

Muña said the individual who was identified as positive for COVID-19 from school-based testing was ineligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and said that six members of this individual’s household tested positive as well, with one of the six being unvaccinated and experiencing symptoms.

She also said that CHCC’s contact tracing team has been working tirelessly to find the index case, or the origin of the community spread of COVID. As she had stated during previous radio briefings, Muña said those eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine to get vaccinated.

“Something we’re seeing again [is that] there’s individuals that are ineligible to be vaccinated that are still at risk. We’ve mentioned in previous briefings that we’re urging everybody to please get vaccinated, [and] if you’re eligible, get it. We have a lot more people… [getting] their third shot which is encouraging, but we still have a large number of individuals that have not gotten their first shot, and that’s the biggest concern that we’ve had,” said Muña.

Torres said that, along with the efforts of the task force and CHCC, preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the CNMI requires a collective effort from the community.

“This is a partnership with the community. We can only put so [many] barriers, so [many] restrictions, so [many] protocols, but at the end of the day we need everyone. …The community has done very well in listening to and following all the protocols… [but] we’re not done yet,” said Torres.