Baguio uses tracking system to trace Covid-19 cases, sites

By Liza Agoot and Dionisio Dennis, Jr.  

BAGUIO CITY – The city government here is now using a tracking system to plot areas where possible carriers of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) live.

During a walk-through of the system, Philip Puzon, the Chief of Staff of Mayor Benjamin Magalong, said the Endcovid-19 system is used to track Covid-19 patients and will help local officials to make a decision on policies pertaining to measures to contain the pandemic.

Michelle Junio, a member of the case tracking team, said they are using a geographical information system (GIS), an old system introduced by Magalong to the Police Regional Office Cordillera when he was regional director to track crimes.

“We are putting it into a map so we can have visual representations kung saan areas may confirmed (cases), possible cases na magagamit in decision making, kung anong area ang ilo-lock down, lalagyan ng checkpoint at babantayan (which are the areas where positive and possible cases are recorded that can be used by the decision-makers in deciding whether to lock-down or where to place checkpoints),” Junio said.

The database of the system is information on Covid-19 confirmed cases from the various hospitals in the city.

Dr. Donnabel Tubera-Panes, city Health Services Office- Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (HSO-CESU) chief, said the Endcovid-19 tracking system is a preventive measure that will allow the city to identify who needs to be isolated or quarantined.

She said contact tracing is a key factor identified by the University of the Philippines (UP) resilience team as one measure that would help contain the spread of the Covid-19.

“With this, we can already tell persons to stay away from the others, thus preventing possible spread of the disease,” she said.

“That is the cheapest way to prevent the spread of disease because all you have to do is to lock in people. You don’t need medicines, extra hospital beds, or all these expensive mechanical ventilators and everything," she added.

Considering the situation where test kits are scarce, Tubera said it is better to prioritize those high-risk people for testing. (PNA)