Baguio’s Bares First COVID19 Local Transmission

BAGUIO CITY (March 28, 2020) –  Baguio City’s first COVID 19 local transmission case is a health worker at the City Health Services Office.

Joel Junsay, 52, living in New Lucban barangay had executed an affidavit Saturday allowing his details to be made public “to save the lives of persons he came in contact with”, was the 12th COVID19 positive patient in the city.

He has agreed to reveal his identity to facilitate the tracing of persons he had contact with and start their own quarantine protocols,  Baguio City public information officer Aileen Paguio-Refuerzo said.

In revealing his details,  Junsay supported the latest proposal of the Mayor Benjamin Magalong to reveal the identities of willing CoVID-19 patients to enhance transparency and hasten the city’s contact tracing system.

Junsay’s test result showing positive COVID-19 infection was known Saturday.

He said he developed signs and symptoms last March 12, 2020.  He had no travel history outside Baguio.

The health worker was among those tested by the Huawei Artifical Intelligence CT scan analyzer being pioneered in the city two days ago.  His infection was positively detected by the technology.

The AI findings enabled the city to immediately administer the necessary medical intervention for Junsay and at the same time launch contact tracing at an early time, said Paguio-Refuerzo.

Mayor Magalong urged all those who had interaction with Junsay for the last 14 days starting on March 12 to get in touch with the City Health Services Office.

With the revelation on Junsay spiking COVID 19 positive patients, Baguio City has now the highest positive cases in the whole Cordillera Region.

According to the DOH-Cordillera, two have been found positive in Abra and two in Benguet.

Artemio Dumlao-ABN

Amianan Balita Ngayon