WITH local government units (LGUs) within Davao Region continuously working on to improve their respective contact tracing efforts, an official from the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao is recommending that the entire region should have a unified QR code system for contact tracing.
DOH-Davao Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit Cleo Fe Tabada said in a virtual presser that it would be best if all LGUs in the region would merge their respective QR code system into a region-wide system to have a bigger scope in contact tracing.
"We are hoping na yung QR codes ng lahat sana, mako-connect sana... Makakatulong siya to locate and to establish, and help out in contact tracing. Maganda sana kung connect-connect lahat iyon in the whole region (We are hoping that there would be a unified system as this would be beneficial in locating and establishing in the contact tracing efforts)," Tabada said on Wednesday, November 4, during the One Davao on Covid-19 virtual presser.
She said there is a need to have a unified QR code since people from different areas of the region freely move around within the entire region.
Davao del Norte is the first LGU in the region to implement its first provincial-wide QR code system, through the Davao del Norte Covid-19 Contact Tracing System (DCCTS).
DOH-Davao Assistant Director Lenny Joy Rivera said that in the case of Davao del Norte, the Provincial Government has "effectively" implemented the DCCTS.
But she said the crucial effectiveness of a QR code system as a means of efficiently improving the area's contact tracing effort depends on the severity of the area's Covid-19 situation.
"For Davao del Norte, na-implement naman nila ng buong province. So far, effective naman ang sa kanila. Nate-trace naman nila ang kanilang cases (Davao del Norte was able to effectively implement it in the entire province)," Rivera said.
She added, "Mas kokonti kasi yung mga cases ng ating mga provinces. So as to Davao City, yun yung titingnan natin. Hihintayin talaga natin kasi dito yung challenge kasi we already have hundreds of cases dito (But it's notable that the province has a lower cases. So we will look into the effectiveness of a QR code system in Davao City. We will look into how this will be implemented considering the city has already hundreds of cases in the past days)."
Tabada, for her part, said the DCCTS had encountered some challenges too, such as establishments unable to connect to the system.
In Davao City, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio issued Executive Order (EO) 60, mandating the enforcement of the SafeDavao QR (DQR) code to all city and non-city residents who will be traversing within the city for essential purposes.
The DQR code was supposed to be enforced on Saturday, November 7, but Duterte-Carpio announced the postponement of its enforcement to November 23 following technical issues experienced in its registration portal, resulting in it to temporarily shut down for maintenance.
Other LGUs in the region that are working on the enforcement of their own QR code system are Digos City, Davao del Sur, and the Island Garden City of Samal.
Meanwhile, Rivera emphasized this is one Covid-19 initiative that DOH will closely monitor.
"If this will be very successful, this is one of the great initiatives or best practices na pwede natin i-showcase (that we can showcase to others)," Rivera said.
She also encouraged the people to support the strategy to expedite the contact-tracing of first degree and second degree contacts of the confirmed Covid-19 cases.
