DOH raises Code Blue Alert in wake of Typhoon Tino

The Department of Health (DOH) has raised the Code Blue Alert following the onslaught of Typhoon Tino in various parts of the country.

According to the DOH, the alert was raised after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday declared a state of national calamity in light of Tino's devastation in the Visayas and parts of Luzon and Mindanao.

Code Blue Alert means the entire DOH, including regional offices and health facilities, shall enter a heightened alert status and deploy additional health personnel in affected areas.

The agency will also distribute medicine and supplies nationwide and activate the Operations Center (OPCEN) and Health Emergency Management Staff (HEMS) for better coordination.

Three Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Teams (PEMAT) are prepared to provide outpatient services or set up makeshift hospital tents, according to the DOH.

Some 114 people were reported to have died, and nearly 2 million were affected due to the typhoon, which left the Philippine Area of Responsibility early Thursday morning. 

The affected regions were Calabarzon, MIMAROPA, Bicol, Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News