The emergence of 98 new COVID-19 cases is concerning, said Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer Esther L. Mu\u00f1a, but the CNMI\u2019s health leaders will continue to move forward with its focus on vaccinations, community-based testing, and containing the further spread of COVID-19. <\/p>\n
During a virtual news briefing yesterday, Mu\u00f1a said her main message is that COVID-19 is \u201cdefinitely here\u201d the goal moving forward is containment and that combatting the virus is a community effort. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe numbers are large, and it is concerning for all of us as well…so we are really urging individuals who have not gotten vaccinated to get vaccinated. …The message that we\u2019re trying to convey today is that COVID is definitely here. We have these cases that we\u2019re trying to contain, and [containment] will be our goal moving forward,\u201d said Mu\u00f1a.<\/p>\n
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.\u2019s COVID-19 vaccination site at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center will be open this week except on Thursday, which is Thanksgiving Day. The site will be open on Friday and Saturday. On a normal week, the site is open from Monday to Saturday, from 8am to 4pm. Registering for vaccination can be done on vaccinatecnmi.com or over the phone at 670-682-SHOT (7468).<\/p>\n
Mu\u00f1a said that vaccination outreaches to get target populations vaccinated are in the works. \u201cThere is going to be some outreach that we\u2019re working [on] with the vaccination team to try to bring the vaccinations to them, and we\u2019re [doing that] so that we can get more people vaccinated,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mu\u00f1a also asked the community to continue practicing the \u201c3 W\u2019s\u201d: wash your hands, watch your distance, and wear a face covering. Mu\u00f1a reiterated that the high number of unvaccinated individuals in the CNMI remains a concern and that she and CHCC want to further increase the CNMI\u2019s immunity against COVID-19, in workplaces in particular, to get people back to work. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to contain [COVID-19] and have more immunity for our population. \u2026We want to see [more people] vaccinated in a workplace so that people can continue their work and not [be distracted by business closures] because someone has been detected as positive,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Mu\u00f1a expressed gratitude to Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, governor\u2019s authorized representative Patrick Guerrero, the Governor\u2019s COVID-19 Task Force and its chairman, Warren F. Villagomez, for their work and support in the CNMI\u2019s efforts against COVID-19. She added that the CNMI has been getting \u201cgood support\u201d so far from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well.<\/p>\n
Mu\u00f1a said there will be more vaccine outreaches and expansions to community-based testing are in the works. She said that now is the perfect time to further expand CBT as the new travel protocols implemented since Nov. 19 allow the CNMI\u2019s health leaders to place more focus on community testing. <\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of the new [arrival protocols], we are able to expand even further. We\u2019re moving forward with…containing the situation right now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In an email yesterday, CHCC public information officer Guillermo Lifoifoi said that CHCC is \u201chere to treat those who are COVID-19 positive\u201d and asked those with COVID-19-related symptoms to call CHCC\u2019s Tele-Triage line at 670-233-2067 or to get checked by their primary health care provider. Lifoifoi added that CHCC\u2019s contact tracing team will call you if you are identified as a high-risk contact of a known positive case. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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