Health Guidelines Due to COVID-19 Cases

June 30, 2020

OCA CIRCULAR NO. 101-2020

 

Considering that numerous court stations are being recommended for closing or lockdown for varying reasons, e.g., due to a subject who tested positive for COVID-19 using rapid antibody test kits, and to ensure that courts will not be unnecessarily and indiscriminately closed to the public on the basis of inconclusive test results, all first and second-level courts shall observe the following:

1. In view of the DOH Updated Interim Guidelines on Expanded Testing for COVID-19 which states that, "[r]apid antibody-based test kits shall not be used as standalone tests to definitively diagnose or rule out COVID-19 . . . [b]ecause these must be used in conjunction with [Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR)]," 1 courts or halls of justice shall not be closed or locked down on the basis solely of the results of the rapid antibody tests.

2. Judges and court personnel who test positive for COVID-19 with the use of rapid antibody tests shall immediately undergo confirmatory RT-PCR (swab) testing, which may be undertaken in coordination with the respective Local Government Unit (LGU) and its designated Barangay Health Emergency Response Team or the Local COVID-19 Task Force, 2 for which they may avail of the PhilHealth benefit package for COVID-19 testing. 3

3. Pending the release of the results of the RT-PCR (swab) testing, the subject who tested positive in the rapid antibody test shall be on self-quarantine, or upon the recommendation of the medical doctor who administered the rapid antibody test, referred for possible admission to a hospital in either of the following cases: (1) severe/critical symptoms with relevant history of travel/contact; 4 or (2) mild symptoms with relevant history of travel/contact, and considered vulnerable. 5

4. In the interim, courts exposed to subjects who tested positive using the rapid antibody test shall neither be closed nor locked down. Initial contact tracing for monitoring of individuals who may thereafter exhibit symptoms shall be conducted. Symptomatic individuals shall undergo self-quarantine for fourteen (14) days, or until they become asymptomatic, whichever is longer. 6

5. Once the confirmatory RT-PCR (swab) test yields a positive result, the concerned court which was exposed to the confirmed COVID-19 case shall be closed for fourteen (14) days and shall be immediately disinfected.

6. For purposes of contact tracing, the concerned court shall adhere, as far as practicable, to the DOH Updated Guidelines on Contact Tracing, 7 which is herein appended for reference.

7. Close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases shall undertake the following necessary steps as issued by the DOH:

a. Symptomatic close contacts shall submit to isolation in a health facility and shall undergo laboratory confirmatory test.

b. Asymptomatic close contacts shall undergo a fourteen (14)-day strict home quarantine and shall monitor the development of signs or symptoms during such period. Laboratory confirmatory test may be undertaken.

8. Should the confirmatory RT-PCR (swab) test yield a negative result, the exposed court shall remain open and shall strictly observe courtroom practices aimed to effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19.

9. All judges and court personnel shall continue to observe safety protocols, including, but not limited to, the following:

a. No mask, no entry policy. Face masks shall be worn at all times while inside the hall of justice and courtrooms.

b. Temperature check before entering the hall of justice. Those with temperature of 37.8 Degrees Celsius and above, or who exhibit symptoms, shall not be allowed entry.

c. No scheduled hearing, no entry.

d. Physical distancing of at least one (1) meter. 8

e. Frequent washing of hands and disinfection of courtrooms and common areas.

10. As an additional safety protocol, all visitors and court users shall register and provide their contact information upon entry in the hall of justice, for purposes of necessary contact tracing. Individual branches and offices within the hall of justice may also require the same registration upon entry to the said branches and offices.

11. Court users who are later confirmed for COVID-19 shall likewise immediately inform the court they have visited.

12. Where the LGU will disinfect the entire hall of justice on a weekday, the courts therein shall be closed provided that the judges and court personnel shall work from home and conduct videoconferencing hearings, whenever applicable.

13. Where the LGU will lockdown the City or Municipal Hall where the courts are located, the Executive or Presiding Judge, upon consultation with the LGU and local health officials, shall evaluate if the courts can operate despite such lockdown, and thereafter clear with the OCA prior to closing or locking down the said court or hall of justice, if necessary.

14. Any action taken by the courts due to confirmed COVID-19 cases, e.g., lockdown, work from home arrangement, shall be cleared with the OCA.

For strict compliance.

(SGD.) JOSE MIDAS P. MARQUEZCourt Administrator

ATTACHMENTS

Department of Health

April 17, 2020

DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUMNo. 2020-0189

 

I. BACKGROUND

On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a Global Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This declaration was a call to action for all countries to prepare for containment, which include active surveillance, early detection, isolation, case management, and contact tracing to prevent further spread. By March 11, 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, with 118,000 reported confirmed cases affecting 110 countries and territories. On March 12, 2020, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte raised the national code alert for COVID-19 to Code Red Sublevel 2.

On March 24, 2020, the President announced the creation of a National Task Force for COVID-19, adopting a whole-of-government approach in addressing COVID-19. Hence, there is a need to update the Department of Health (DOH) Department Memorandum (DM) 2020-0068, entitled "Interim Guidelines on Contact Tracing for Confirmed 2019 Novel Corona Virus Acute Respiratory Disease (2019-nCoV ARD) Cases" to also adopt these approach.

II. DEFINITION OF TERMS

A. Contact tracing — the identification, listing, and follow-up of persons who may have come into close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case. Contact tracing is an important component in containing outbreaks of infectious diseases. Under Code Red Sublevel 2, contact tracing is aimed at mitigating the spread of the disease.

B. Close contact — a person who may have come into contact with the probable or confirmed case two days prior to onset of illness of the confirmed COVID-19 case (use date of sample collection for asymptomatic cases as basis) until the time that said cases test negative on laboratory confirmation or other approved laboratory test through:

1. Face-to-face contact with a probable or confirmed case within 1 meter and for more than 15 minutes;

2. Direct physical contact with a probable or confirmed case;

3. Direct care for a patient with probable or confirmed COVID-19 disease without using proper personal protective equipment; OR

4. Other situations as indicated by local risk assessments.

C. Confirmed COVID-19 case — any individual who tested positive for COVID-19 through laboratory confirmation at the national reference laboratory, subnational reference laboratory, or a DOH-certified laboratory testing facility.

D. Probable COVID-19 case — a suspect case who fulfills anyone of the following listed below:

a. Suspect case whose testing for COVID-19 is inconclusive; or

b. Suspect who tested positive for COVID-19 but whose test was not conducted in a national or subnational reference laboratory or officially accredited laboratory for COVID-19 confirmatory testing.

c. Suspect case who died without undergoing any confirmatory testing.

E. Suspect COVID-19 case — a person who is presenting with any of the conditions below:

a. All SARI cases where NO other etiology that fully explains the clinical presentation.

b. ILI cases with any one of the following:

i. with no other etiology that fully explains the clinical presentation AND a history of travel to or residence in an area that reported local transmission of COVID-19 disease during the 14 days prior to symptom onset; or

ii. with contact to a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 disease during the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms.

c. Individuals with fever or cough or shortness of breath or other respiratory signs or symptoms fulfilling any one of the following conditions:

i. Aged 60 years and above;

ii. With a comorbidity;

iii. Assessed as having a high-risk pregnancy; and/or

iv. Health worker.

III. GENERAL GUIDELINES

A. Contact tracing is one of the main public health interventions for COVID-19 response and shall be the responsibility of the whole government.

1. The Department of Health, through the Epidemiology Bureau (EB), shall provide guidelines and oversight for all contact tracing activities.

2. The external agencies engaged in COVID-19 response shall comply with their specific roles and corresponding operational guidelines issued by the National Task Force for COVID-19 response.

B. The goals of contact tracing are as follows:

1. To interrupt ongoing transmission and reduce the spread of infection;

2. To alert close contacts to the possibility of infection and offer preventive counselling or care; and

3. To understand the epidemiology of a disease in a particular population.

C. Contact tracing shall be initiated after case investigation of every reported confirmed COVID-19 cases, to include the following actions:

1. Identify settings where the contacts have visited or social interactions where the contacts have been exposed.

2. Identify all social, familial, work, and health care worker contacts who have had contact with a confirmed case from 2 days before symptom onset of the case (use date of sample collection for asymptomatic cases as basis) until the time that said case test negative on laboratory confirmation.

3. Create a line list, including demographic information and geographic information at barangay and sitio levels, date of first and last exposure or date of contact with the confirmed or probable case, and, for symptomatic close contacts, date of onset of fever, respiratory symptoms, or other significant signs and symptoms.

4. Thoroughly document the common exposures and type of contact with the confirmed or probable case for any contact who become infected with COVID-19.

D. Contact tracing shall prioritize listing of the following close contacts:

1. Health workers who attended to the confirmed COVID-19 case

2. Individuals who lived with the confirmed COVID-19 case

3. Individuals who worked with the confirmed case, and

4. Vulnerable populations as identified in the demographic vulnerabilities tool.

E. For suspect COVID-19 cases, we shall list the individuals they were in contact using these same guidelines and advise these individuals accordingly. This list shall facilitate contact tracing for suspect cases who may become re-classified as probable or confirmed cases.

F. In order to ensure that the data privacy rights of the patient/data subject are respected and that the data or information processed are protected, the provisions on data privacy under Republic Act No. 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act, the provisions of the Data Privacy Act of 2012, its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) and other issuance of National Privacy Commission (NPC) shall be strictly complied with. The aforementioned law, rules and issuances shall also govern in case disclosure shall be made by the DOH or other agencies involved in the contact tracing to third parties. The guidelines for processing and disclosure of the personal information of patient/data subject are attached in Annex A.

G. As stated in DILG Memorandum Circular 2020-062, "Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) are designated to help combat the spread of COVID-19 by managing, on the barangay level, Persons Under Investigation, and those who came in contact with them. BHERT members are also tasked with the monitoring and reporting of PUIs within an LGU jurisdiction." Hence, Barangay LGUs, through the BHERTs, shall, after acting as the navigator during contact tracing, monitor the health status of all close contacts. Furthermore, LGUs may add barangay population volunteers to BHERTs.

H. Classification of patients for reporting purposes shall follow the AO 2020-0013 re: Revised Administrative Order No. 2020-0012 "Guidelines for the Inclusion of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the List of Notifiable Diseases for Mandatory Reporting to the Department of Health" dated March 17, 2020.

IV. SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

A. Identification of Contacts of Suspect COVID-19 Cases

1. For identified suspect COVID-19 cases, data fields of the COVID-19 Case Investigation Form (CIF) (See Annex B) shall be submitted, including the initial list of contacts for suspect COVID-19 cases using the definition stated in this issuance.

2. Information in the CIF shall be encoded in a DOH-registered COVID-19 Information System.

3. All suspect cases shall be advised that this list shall be endorsed to the concerned local government unit who shall a) inform identified contacts of the possible exposure, b) advise them to practice self-quarantine and self-monitoring, and report development or progression of sign or symptoms, and c) update them as to laboratory status of suspect COVID-19 case and re-classify them, as needed.

B. Case Investigation and Contact Tracing for Probable and Confirmed COVID-19 Cases

1. DOH-EB shall immediately notify the concerned RESU for each new reported confirmed COVID-19 case. The RESU shall immediately notify the Regional and Assistant Regional Directors of Centers for Health Development regarding the new confirmed COVID-19 case, who in turn shall inform concerned provincial, city or municipal LGU through its Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (PESU) and City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) or Municipal Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (MESU).

2. The following shall conduct case investigation and collect data fields of the COVID-19 Case Investigation Form (CIF) (Annex B) and Travel History Form (Annex C), or any information technology system registered to DOH and/or validated by DICT. They shall generate a list of close contacts (Annex D) upon completion of case investigation that shall be forwarded to the local contact tracing teams.

a. C/MESU for local government units who have established them

b. PESU for health offices at the municipal and component city level in the absence of city or municipal personnel capable of conducting case investigation

c. RESU for health offices of provinces and highly urbanized cities in the absence of personnel capable of conducting case investigation

3. All health facilities that conducted sample collection and/or testing, consultation, and/or admission of confirmed COVID-19 cases shall ensure that P/C/MESUs are provided access to the complete medical record of the confirmed COVID-19 case and shall help facilitate the interview of the confirmed COVID-19 cases, and his/her relatives, caregivers, and/or guardians.

4. Upon receipt of close contact lists from R/P/C/MESUs, local contact tracing teams (LCTTs) shall rigorously locate, profile (Annex E), and assess (Annexes F and G) all close contacts. The LCTTs shall identify symptomatic close contacts who fit the COVID-19 case definition based on AO 2020-0013 and test and isolate using the same guidelines.

5. For close contacts not fitting any of the COVID-19 case definitions, the LCCT shall classify and test these close contacts based on DM 2020-0180 Revised Interim Guidelines on Expanded Testing for COVID-19.

6. Sample collection shall be performed by the concerned P/C/MESU.

7. If close contacts reside outside the jurisdiction of the concerned P/C/MESU but reside in the same region, the RESU shall endorse the list of these close contacts to the appropriate P/C/MESU.

8. If close contacts reside both outside the jurisdiction of the concerned P/C/MESU and the region, the RESU shall endorse the list of these close contacts to the appropriate RESU, who shall endorse to the appropriate P/C/MESU.

C. Contact Tracing in Areas with Community Transmission

1. All P/C/MESUs in areas with community transmission shall continue conducting case investigation, testing, and contact tracing to reduce transmission of COVID-19.

2. The LCTTs in these areas may conduct contact tracing until 2nd generation transmission, and/or prioritize less affected communities and/or high risk close contacts, which includes health workers, non-health workers with high risk exposure, and people working with vulnerable populations (e.g., elderly care workers).

3. Conduct of case investigation, testing, and contact tracing in these areas shall be complemented by other measures, such as work/school suspension, community quarantine and physical distancing, to effectively reduce COVID-19 transmission.

D. Composition and Coordination with Local Contact Tracing Teams (LCTT)

1. The LCTT shall be composed of the following:

 Team Leader: City or Municipal Health Officer

 Co-Team Leader: City or Municipal Philippine National Police Chief

 Members: City or Municipal Philippine National Police; physicians, nurses, midwives, and/or sanitary inspectors from the City or Municipal Health Office, local population officers, workers and volunteers from the City or Municipal Population Office, Bureau of Fire Protection, City or Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Barangay Health Emergency Response Team; other staff or individuals who shall be designated/deputized by the Team Leaders.

2. DOH Centers for Health Development may deploy Human Resources for Health for contact tracing.

3. Other agencies, such as the Commission on Population and Development, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, may also be deputized to assist in contact tracing.

E. Monitoring of Close Contacts under Quarantine

1. The Barangay LGU, through the BHERT, supported by other volunteers and contact tracing personnel shall monitor close contacts under quarantine for the development or progression of signs and symptoms of the disease.

2. The BHERT shall update all contacts' Signs and Symptoms Log Forms (Annex H) daily.

3. Any previously asymptomatic close contact who develops signs and symptoms shall be referred by the BHERT to the P/C/MESU and shall be re-assessed, re-classified, managed depending on classification as specified in Annex D.

4. Any symptomatic close contact who by the end of the 14-day quarantine remained symptomatic but still does not fit suspect case definition, should be re-assessed and managed as per current clinical practice guidelines. Said close contact should remain in self-isolation while undergoing said assessment.

F. Certificate of Quarantine Completion

1. The Provincial, City or Municipal Health Officer, upon the recommendation of the P/C/MESU, shall issue a Certificate of Quarantine Completion (Annex I) to all close contacts who shall successfully complete the 14-day home-based quarantine and is asymptomatic at the end of the 14-day quarantine.

2. Close contacts who remained symptomatic by the end of the 14-day quarantine shall be issued a certificate of quarantine completion by the physician who monitored his clinical course until resolution of his medical condition.

G. Recording and Reporting

1. All P/C/MESUs shall submit information gathered during case investigations to the RESU daily by 5:00 PM. The RESU shall in turn submit these to EB immediately.

2. All LCTTs shall submit information gathered during contact tracing to the P/C/MESUs, who shall submit to the RESU daily by 5:00PM. The RESU shall in turn submit these to EB immediately.

3. All BHERTs shall submit daily monitoring data of contacts to the P/C/MESUs, who shall submit to the RESU and EB by 10:00 AM the following day.

4. Hospitals shall submit status updates of admitted COVID-19 cases (Annex J) to the RESU. The RESU shall submit these updates daily to EB by 5:00 PM.

5. In the interim, a ladderized information flow (Annex K) shall be observed, starting from LCTTs, to P/C/MESUs, to RESUs, and to EB. In the future electronic submission of contact tracing data shall be utilized to ensure timely submission and validation of data at all levels.

H. Use of Information and Communications Technologies related to Contact Tracing

1. All contact tracing applications or technologies should include the necessary data fields, conform to DOH contact tracing protocols, and shall be cleared by the national lead of contact tracing following the standards developed by the Knowledge Management and Information Technology Service (KMITS) of DOH.

2. All entities interested to develop contact tracing applications and technologies should be registered to the National Privacy Commission and should conform to the provisions of the Data Privacy Act of 2012 including, but not limited to, assigning data protection officers and ensuring policies on data protection and breach management protocols.

I. Protecting Data Privacy of COVID-19 Cases and Close Contacts

1. Pursuant to Data Privacy Act of 2012, declaration forms shall be given to and signed by COVID-19 patients and close contacts, or their relatives, caregivers, and/or guardians, prior to conducting epidemiologic investigation or close contact interviews. A privacy notice shall be provided to inform patients and contacts on the processing of information.

2. All identified close contacts shall be assigned anonymised identification for the purpose of information sharing to or data analysis by individuals other than the personal information controller or those designated to have access to personal and sensitive information. Names and other unique identifiers shall NOT be released publicly or shared with entities not directly involved in the care of the patient, or entities unauthorized by law or other legal instruments to process such information, without the patient's consent. Violations of this provision shall be punishable by the penalties set under the Data Privacy Act.

3. Only information relevant to the contact tracing shall be collected. The DOH reserves the right to release information on COVID-19 cases that are relevant for public health interventions without full disclosure of the case's identity.

4. The DOH with other government agencies involved and/or contributing to the contact tracing shall form a memorandum of agreement on data sharing to ensure proper use and accountability of personal information being collected.

5. The Epidemiology Bureau shall be the personal information controller who will be responsible for directing all actions related to the data, including the use of personal information needed for the conduct of COVID-19 response activities such as contact tracing.

6. The RESU, the P/C/MESU, other surveillance units, and deputized agencies shall identify their personal information processors and shall be responsible for assigning a data protection officer and data protection controls such as privacy and breach management.

V. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A. The EB shall:

1. Provide technical supervision on the joint contact tracing activity by the RESU and concerned LGU;

2. Design recording and reporting systems and applications to ensure timely submission of complete and valid data; and

3. Coordinate with appropriate national government agencies to secure records and documentations needed for contact tracing.

B. The KMITS shall:

1. Develop standards for applications and technologies for contact tracing and other COVID-19 mitigation efforts and ensure that they conform to mutually agreed protocols.

2. Undertake appropriate monitoring and evaluation activities to ensure quality of system implementation, including adequacy of control mechanisms, security management, and feedback system; and

3. Provide direction on resolving technical issues and concerns related to the development, implementation, and use of the contact tracing applications or technologies.

C. The RESU shall:

1. Ensure timely and appropriate coordination with concerned LGU and other regional and local offices, institutions, and officials, as needed;

2. Ensure timely endorsement of list of confirmed cases to concerned P/C/MESU;

3. Supervise conduct of case investigations;

4. Facilitate collection of laboratory specimens while the LGUs and health facilities are not yet trained in specimen collection, storage, and transport;

5. Regularly monitor conduct of contact tracing and provide technical assistance to the LGU and catchment hospitals;

6. Ensure timely submission of all data gathered to EB, preferably using standardized forms and the COVID-19 Information System; and

7. Orient and/or train LGU, health facilities, and concerned agencies on contact tracing guidelines and recording and reporting systems, even in the absence of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the LGU.

D. The LGU and its P/C/MESU shall:

1. Draft case investigation plans;

2. Conduct case investigation and specimen collection;

3. Conduct appropriate management and referral, as needed, of symptomatic close contacts;

4. Facilitate transportation for suspect and probable cases that need to be referred to higher level of care, as well as for samples to be submitted to the laboratory;

5. Ensure timely submission of close contact profiles and monitoring to RESU; and

6. Orient and/or train the local contact tracing and monitoring teams.

E. The LCTT Leader and Co-Team Leader shall:

1. Draft contact tracing plans;

2. Secure the list of confirmed COVID-19 cases from the P/C/MESU concerned;

3. Locate all confirmed cases and secure the areas where the cases are located;

4. Prepare and provide needed logistics for contact tracing;

5. Regularly coordinate with the P/C/MESU for updates;

6. Ensure that reports are submitted on time to the P/C/MESU;

7. Ensure that members of the LCTTs are oriented and trained;

8. Ensure that the data privacy rights of patients and individuals subjected to contact tracing are protected; and

9. Utilize the Demographic Vulnerability Tool downloadable from the POPCOM website (http://popcom.gov.ph) in planning and implementing its task.

F. The members of the LCTT shall:

1. Conduct contact tracing;

2. Conduct immediate transport of close contacts for health facility isolation;

3. Provide health education to close contacts;

4. Submit accomplished forms to the Team Leader and Co-Team Leader;

5. Conduct daily monitoring of close contacts for 14 days each;

6. Assess previously asymptomatic close contacts presenting with symptoms at any point during the duration of the quarantine; and

7. Refer symptomatic close contacts to the Team Leader or Co-Team Leader for assessment and facilitate transport for immediate referral, as needed.

G. The BHERTs shall:

1. Serve as the navigator of the LCTT and help to locate all contacts;

2. Conduct regular monitoring and assessment of close contacts under quarantine;

3. Submit timely and accurate Individual Signs and Symptoms Log Forms to the P/C/MESU; and

4. Immediately refer to the LESU all close contacts who shall develop signs and symptoms while under quarantine.

H. The health facilities (public and private) shall:

1. Cooperate fully with the DOH-EB and its regional and local counterparts by ensuring that LCTTs are provided access to medical records, facilitating case interviews, and conducting other case investigation and contact tracing activities by virtue of R.A. 11223 and R.A. 11332; and

2. Submit Case Investigations Forms and Travel History, Places Visited, and Events Attended Forms using the COVID-19 Information System.

 

(SGD.) FRANCISCO T. DUQUE, III, MD, MScSecretary of Health

ANNEX A

Guidelines for Processing and Disclosure of the Personal Information of Patient/Data Subject

1. The information collected by the DOH and its partner agencies shall be referred to as "Patient Identifiers or Patient Data." The said information shall include the full name of the individuals, his/her address, age, birthdate, PhilHealth Number, Existing Illness or Comorbidities and other information deemed necessary for the purpose of contact tracing.

2. The patient/data subject shall be informed of the purpose and reason why his/her personal information are collected by the DOH and its partner agencies, including the possibility that the information will be disclosed to other government authorities and authorized persons to provide an effective response during this COVID-19 pandemic.

3. All personnel, volunteers or individuals who will participate in the contact tracing activity shall sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) beforehand to ensure that unauthorized disclosure will be prevented.

4. Patient Identifiers or Patient Data of all suspected, probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases as identified by the DOH and its partner agencies during the conduct of contact tracing must be reported to the DOH and its designated/deputized public health authorities serving as partner agencies pursuant to this Guidelines.

5. The national and local governments shall only use the Patient Identifiers or Patient Data for the purpose of planning policies and adopting measures of response for this COVID-19 pandemic. Use of data for other purposes not related to the COVID-19 Health Emergency shall be prohibited.

6. Disclosure of Patient Identifiers or Patient Data shall be limited to authorized entities, officers, personnel and concerned individuals only. The said disclosure is allowed if the same will serve a public purpose or function during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Disclosure to the public, the media or any other public-facing platforms without the written consent of the patient or his/her authorized representative or next of kin, shall be strictly prohibited.

7. Any disclosure by the DOH to third parties shall be embodied in a Data Sharing Agreement (DSA) as provided by NPC Circular No. 16-02 (Data Sharing Agreements Involving Government Agencies) dated October 10, 2016.

Partner agencies must first obtain the written consent of the DOH before they can disclose Patient Identifiers or Patient Data to third parties, and the said disclosure shall likewise be embodied in a DSA.

8. Any violation or breach of the data privacy rights of the patient/data subject shall be dealt with, in accordance to the provisions on data privacy under Republic Act No. 11332, the provisions of the Data Privacy Act of 2012, its IRR and other issuances of the NPC. Upon the termination of this undertaking and once its purpose has been served, the Patient Identifiers or Patient Data shall be disposed of in accordance with the aforementioned law, rules and issuances governing Data Privacy.

ANNEX B

COVID-19 Case Investigation Form

ANNEX C

Travel History, Places Visited, and Events Attended Form

ANNEX D

Close Contact Line List Form

ANNEX E

Profile of the COVID-19 Close Contacts

ANNEX G n

Algorithm for Close Contact Management and Testing

ANNEX H

Signs and Symptoms Log Form

 

Footnotes

1.Updated Interim Guidelines on Expanded Testing for COVID-19, Department Memorandum Order No. 2020-0258, 29 May 2020.

2.Guidelines on Local Isolation and General Treatment Areas for COVID-19 cases (LIGTAS COVID) and the Community-based Management of Mild COVID-19 Cases, Joint Administrative Order No. 2020-0001, 15 April 2020.

3.PhilHealth sets new benefit package for COVID-19 testing, PhilHealth, 3 June 2020, available at <https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/news/2020/test_pckge.php#gsc.tab=0>.

4. II, 2 (a), Department Memorandum Order No. 2020-0258.

5. II, 2 (b), Id.

    Vulnerable populations include those elderly and with preexisting medical conditions that predispose them to severe presentation and complications of COVID-19.

6. III, B (2), Id.

7.Updated Guidelines on Contact Tracing of Close Contacts of Confirmed Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Cases, Department Memorandum Order No. 2020-0189, 17 April 2020.

8.COVID-19: physical distancing, World Health Organization, available <https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/covid-19/information/physical-distancing>.

n Note from the Publisher: Copied verbatim from the official copy. Irregular alphabetical sequence.