Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano. (File photo)
MANILA – The number of active coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in Taguig has further declined to nine as of Nov. 11, Mayor Lino Cayetano said on Friday.
With this development, Taguig has now the lowest number of active Covid-19 cases in the National Capital Region.
In a statement, Cayetano said in the last two weeks, Taguig has an average of eight active cases per 100,000 population.
As this developed, Taguig City on November 9 also hit a record low of six Covid-19 active cases which is equivalent to less than one active case per 100,000.
Cayetano also reported 23 average new daily cases for the week spanning November 4 to 10, a significant development from over 200 cases daily from August 12 to 16.
“Our efforts bore fruit,” Cayetano said during a session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod that passed the city’s 2021 recovery budget.
He highlighted the local government's swift call to action as the implemented initiatives in the fight against the effects of the Covid-19 in the city has been beneficial and has steered the city in the right direction.
Meanwhile, 8,879 out of the city's 8,953 total cases have recovered.
Active cases are now a low 0.1 percent of all recorded cases in Taguig while NCR is at 2.34 percent.
“We must remain aggressive,” Cayetano said. “I keep reminding our citizens that, if we suddenly let go, nine can increase and we could relapse.”
He also highlighted the city’s case fatality rate at 65 deaths or 0.73 percent.
The capital is at 2.92 percent. Cayetano attributed this to the swiftly passed supplemental budget, which enabled the city to convert certain locations into temporary quarantine facilities a few days after the community quarantines began.
The city also immediately entered into agreements with various testing facilities and, in a few months, established its own world-class quarantine facility and molecular lab.
“We also need to recognize TPDH [Taguig-Pateros District Hospital] for the low death rate,” he said. “In the first days of the Covid-19 issue, our doctors, nurses and staff did not hesitate and allocated one area with 90 beds.”
“As we bring the economy back, as we go back to our offices, use public transport, everyone should be careful. Even if we have the lowest numbers in NCR, we must not forget that we are a center of commerce. Our fellow Filipinos who we mingle with at work, or public transport, may come from different cities and provinces,” he said.
He also encouraged citizens to stay vigilant and follow protocols — wearing face masks and shields and maintaining physical distancing — even when talking with their own neighbors.
For Christmas and New Year’s Eve revelries, he also appealed for families to keep their celebrations at home and within the household to prevent outbreaks.
“Now we know how to fight the virus. We are about to beat Covid-19,” Cayetano said. (PNA)
