LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – A provincial health official said Tuesday the surge of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in Pangasinan may be due to increased testing capacity and contact tracing efforts of the local government units (LGUs), and the possible transmission of the more transmissible Delta variant.
“Tingnan din natin on the positive side. Baka sila rin (LGUs) ang mga masigasig na magsagawa ng contact tracing at mag-test ng kanilang constituents. (Let us also consider the positive side. Possibly, the LGUs might be exerting efforts in their contact tracing and testing of their constituents),” Provincial Health Office (PHO) chief Dr. Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman said in an interview.
De Guzman said aside from having a big population, some LGUs in the province with a higher number of Covid-19 cases also have the most number of authorized persons outside of residence.
She added the increase of the Covid-19 infection rate depends on the mobility of the people.
De Guzman said the spike of the coronavirus in the province might be because of the possible transmission of the more transmissible Delta variant.
“Karamihan sa mga infected cases natin ay maaaring Delta variant na dahil napakabilis ang pagtaas ng mga kaso natin. (Most of the infected cases may be due to the Delta variant because the surge in the number of cases was rapid),” she said.
Meanwhile, some 120 out of the 3,025 healthcare workers from the 14 provincial government-run hospitals are among the active cases of Covid-19 in Pangasinan as of Sept. 13.
De Guzman said 40 of the patients are admitted to different hospitals after experiencing moderate symptoms and having comorbidities.
She added 80 of the patients are under strict home isolation as they are only asymptomatic while some report mild symptoms.
However, de Guzman said one of their doctors has died due to the virus.
She said the PHO is constantly monitoring the health status of its healthcare workers to ensure they are in good health while performing their duties amid the pandemic.
She added most of the patients are asymptomatic to mild cases as they were already vaccinated.
De Guzman said the provincial government is still hiring more medical healthcare workers, such as nurses and medical technologists, to care for coronavirus patients.
As of Sept. 13, the province recorded 19,711 recoveries out of the 25,273 Covid-19 cases with 842 deaths and 4,720 active cases. (PNA)
