Rota and Tinian to receive PPEs

As the CNMI continues to receive more medical supplies for front-liners, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer Esther Muña announced in a Facebook video last May 6 that the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force will be sharing Personal Protective Equipment with Rota and Tinian.

According to Muña, it’s important to have enough equipment to provide protection for health care workers and front-liners. “Having these PPEs will definitely help our health care workers to get protection. …You never want to have to decide whether to use or re-use a PPE,” said Muña. “Having adequate supplies is essential to our staff [or] providing health care services to our patients.”

Muña added that when you provide services, you should make sure that you protect the staff and everyone else that are involved to avoid the transmission of the virus to other people. “We’re getting ready to pack them up and send them, so that they [Rota and Tinian] can [use] them,” she said.

Todd Hoose, a member of the COVID-19 response team for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, added that the CNMI was able to obtain the supplies and equipment from the United States and multiple other countries. At this point, the CNMI will be able to share those resources, he added. “With the success they’ve had with the materials that are here, they may be able to assist possibly other Pacific Islands and certainly the other islands in the Northern Marianas,” said Hoose.

He added that the supplies and materials will help other islands get back to their feet and make a difference in improving the safety, not just for CNMI, but “a number of our partners and our friends in the Western Pacific.”

Also, despite the problems with shipping, Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios is still thankful to those who were involved in the logistics, like government agencies and the COVID-19 Task Force, and all the airlines that were able to come through and give the CNMI enough supplies.

Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services Commissioner Dennis Mendiola is also thankful, saying PPEs “are vital to our operation in ensuring the safety of our personnel to ensure that they do not contract COVID-19.”

Mendiola said the PPEs will provide comfort and protection to first responders and personnel during emergency response.

His sentiments were also echoed by Department of Public Safety Commissioner Robert A. Guerrero and Department of Corrections Commissioner Wally Villagomez.
To date, the CNMI has had 15 positive COVID-19 cases, with one active case, 12 recoveries, and two deaths.

COVID-19 in Guam

The Department of Public Health and Social Services tested 90 individuals for COVID-19 last May 6. Two tested positive through DPHSS and 88 tested negative.
To date, Guam has had 151 confirmed COVID-19 positive cases, with five deaths and 123 released from isolation. When a patient is released from isolation, he or she is no longer considered infectious.