Almost Half Of Baguio City Breached By COVID19

July 31, 2020 JUST IN

BAGUIO CITY (July 31, 2020) – The Baguio City Health Services Office (CHSO) bared  Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) breached 58 of the city’s 129-barangays (44.9%)

Dr. Donna Lorenzana Tubera-Panes, head of CHSO’s infectious disease cluster said, barangays Camp 7, Middle Quezon Hill, Bakakeng Central, Guisad Central, Irisan, New Lucban and San Vicente recorded the most number of cases.  These areas are thickly populated.

The public health official also said of the city’s first 100-cases of infection,  68 percent had no travel history nor contacts with patients while only 32-percent had history of travel.

While 56 percent of the patients were asymptomatic, 41 percent displayed mild to moderate symptoms and only 1 percent manifested severe symptoms but was able to recover. Only 2 percent succumbed.

At least 17 percent of the 100 patients were senior citizens and 5 percent were below 18-years old.

Panes further bared that 53 percent of the city’s COVID cases are females while 47-percent are males.

Panes said the increase of cases in the city is due largely to the expanded testing ordered by Mayor Benjamin Magalong where current targeted testing now includes persons from humble jobs whose exposure to people are naturally part of their tasks.  These include “taho” vendors, taxi drivers, vendors, food handlers, and construction workers, among others.

Testing in the city now has increased up to a maximum of 800 daily from only 50 test at a maximum a day in the past.

Baguio City now has some 22,000 test kits available for the aggressive testing of close contacts of patients as part of efforts to curb spread of the virus. ***Artemio A. Dumlao***