BAGUIO CITY– For six straight days, no positive case of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has been reported by local officials strengthening their belief that Baguio has attained a flat curve even as the testing of 60 of the 93 persons under investigation started April 3.
“It’s a good sign,” said City Health Office chief, Dr. Rowena Galpo on Thursday.
She said that the last cases were reported on March 28 but cautioned locals not to let their guards down.
“Seemingly our enhanced community quarantine is effective. We have good contact tracing, so no transmissions as far as today,” she said while congratulating the front line health workers for a job well done.
She, however, said that this does not mean that the city will be opening the borders of the city as well as allow people to go out just yet.
“We will see in the next 13 days, but then we can recommend for the lifting of the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine). But for now, I go for a modified ECQ,” she added.
Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan said a modified lifting will be the best solution.
“I think the curfew will still remain but then let us work towards normalizing our lives. Mahirap ang ma-quarantine (It is difficult to be under quarantine),” he said.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong, meanwhile, said the city must follow through tracing of contacts to make sure that no one is missed.
"There were gaps before that we are now addressing so we will not be surprised if more cases will turn up," the mayor said, who activated police investigators to help health workers in contact tracing.
City Epidemiologist and Surveillance Unit head, Dr. Donnabel Tubera-Panes also expressed optimism that the contamination had been contained and contacts rounded up at the moment.
Panes said that 60 of the 93 patients under investigation in home isolation will undergo testing Friday at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center to determine if they caught the deadly virus.
She said that all will be tested at the newly certified testing center at BGHMC but the first batch of 60 has completed the minimum five-day requirement for testing. The 33 PUIs need yet to complete the five-day requirement before they will be tested.
“We hope that they will test negative, so we can confirm if indeed we are flatlining. But so far, it’s good. Team Baguio is effective in controlling the spread,” she added.
As of March 28, 13 positive cases were reported in Baguio. Three of them have recovered and were already discharged.
Galpo said the three recoveries are aged 55, 61 and 70, or an average of 62 years old, supposedly belonging to the risk group.
“But they may have a good immune system, thus the fast recovery,” she said, adding they will still be monitoring them.
One death has been reported but the CHO is still awaiting the result from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
“We are still awaiting the confirmatory result from the RITM since we sent our findings before BGH was certified to undertake tests,” she said. (PNA)
