The Department of Health (DOH) reported Wednesday that none of the evacuees has tested positive for COVID-19 so far.
The government earlier announced it would use antigen tests to screen evacuees for COVID-19. DOH also provided other medical and mental health assistance to the typhoon victims.
Those who showed symptoms for possible COVID-19 infection will be given priority.
“Wala pa po sa ating mga evacuees ang nagpositibo sa COVID-19. Makakaasa po kayo na patuloy naming imo-monitor ang ating evacuees at sisiguraduhin natin na ooberserbahan nila ang minimum health standards habang sila [ay] displaced,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online forum.
“Priority po natin [sa testing] iyong may sintomas. Kung may nararamdaman po ang ating mga kababayan sa evacuation centers, puwede po kayo pumunta sa mga health and safety officers sa evacuation centers para kayo ay mabigyan ng lunas,” she added.
DOH also deployed Health Emergency Response Teams in typhoon-affected areas for COVID-19 surveillance, medical, sanitation, and mental/psychosocial support for typhoon victims.
“We have also provided supplementary ready to eat food as well as medicines such as ferrous sulfate and calcium carbonate,” Vergeire added.
No evacuee has tested positive for COVID-19 – DOH
Based on the Department of Social Welfare and Development records, the DOH official said that 55,921 families or 223,378 individuals are sheltering in 1,570 evacuation centers in Regions 2, 3, 4A, 5 and National Capital Region (NCR) as of November 18.
Typhoon Ulysses has left 73 people dead and affected over three million Filipinos from Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B 5, NCR, and Cordillera Administrative Region.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture reported Wednesday that the amount of damage to agriculture due to Typhoon Ulysses reached nearly P4 billion.
According to the DA-Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Operations Center’s 8 am bulletin, the total damage caused by the typhoon has climbed to P3.84 billion as of November 18. The typhoon affected 104,733 farmers and fisherfolk’s livelihood and damaged 101,904 hectares of agricultural areas with a volume of production loss at 160,873 metric tons.
Ulysses also affected irrigation and agricultural infrastructures in Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, CALABARZON, and Bicol Region. Commodities include rice, corn, high-value crops, fisheries, livestock were also damaged.