Mayor Sara Duterte has called on Davaoeños to trust medical doctors as she brushed aside fears that getting swabbed for coronavirus is painful.
In her Davao City Disaster Radio program on Friday, June 26, Duterte said she respects people practicing some traditional cures or home remedies for some diseases, but people still need to follow medical advice to prevent contracting the coronavirus disease.
“I just want to remind the Dabawenyos that, yes, we have our own beliefs but we must still follow the recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Department of Health on what needs to be done,” she said.
The mayor said that people must not be afraid of getting tested and they need to trust the medical doctors like epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists as they are experts in this field.
She added that one must follow the doctors’ recommendations first and supplement the treatment protocol with traditional methods if they experience symptoms of the coronavirus disease.
“If we experience symptoms, let us seek medical advice. I think the doctors must be the one telling us what to do, what medications to take, where to go, then we can just add our self-prescriptions or own beliefs like taking herbal medicines. Just ask permission from the doctors first,” she stressed.
The mayor said that a person experiencing symptoms like cough, colds, fever, sore throat, and diarrhea should approach the local government or visit the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) – the official Covid-19 hospital in the city for testing and advice.
As of 5 p.m. on June 26, Davao City already has 402 confirm COVID-19 cases with 266 recoveries and 26 deaths.
