Socmed asks Gov Tamayo to place South Cotabato under ECQ due to COVID-19 surge

The South Cotabato Medical Society (Socomed) has formally requested Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. to place the entire province under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to a significant surge in COVID-19 cases.

The province recorded at least 23 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, September 8, bringing the total confirmed cases to 200.

A total of 25 health workers in the province have been infected with COVID-19 since last month, with 23 of them symptomatic and confined in hospitals and isolation facilities.

The alarming rise in infections has strained local hospitals, with over 100 medical personnel currently in quarantine, impacting the healthcare system's capacity.

Contact tracing efforts have also been compromised, as 36 out of 55 personnel from the City Health Office are now under quarantine.

The positivity rate at the Dr. Arturo Pingoy Medical Center reached 57%, indicating a high level of community transmission.

The medical community believes that a province-wide ECQ is a necessary drastic measure to curb the increasing local transmission of the virus.