CITY
HALL BEAT
Aileen
P. Refuerzo
BAGUIO CITY – The city’s
tally breached the century mark as cases spiked by 38 from July 24 raising the
total count to 102 as of July 30.
Mayor
Benjamin Magalong and city health officials attributed the surge to the
expansion of the risk-based mass testing, the opening up of the city’s economy
and the increased movement to and from the city.
The mayor
however assured that things remain under control because the city has a
well-placed COVID-19 control and response systems which just need to be strengthened
and adjusted as the situation requires.
“We also need
to innovate,” said the mayor who had ordered the beefing up of the city’s
contact tracing system, quarantine, isolation and medical facilities and the
tightening of border, lockdown and health and safety measures not just to
address the problem but also to prepare for worse scenarios.
He also urged
the public to remain calm and to maintain vigilance in obeying health and
safety protocols.
The mayor
said the swell in cases can mean that the city is experiencing the "second
wave" of virus affliction if the case curve is to be the basis. He
said the curve had dipped and flattened at some point before the rising anew.
Asst. City
Health Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes however said they are still determining
if the city’s current situation can be categorically described as the second
wave phase because the upturn was a result of deliberate testing and not due to
accidental findings.
“We have had
active surveillance and aggressive testing and it may be that we got lucky and
hit those infected,” she said.
***
“Treat
yourself and everyone around you as (Coronavirus disease or COVID-19) positive
so you will be vigilant (in adhering to health and safety protocols at any
given time.”
City health officials under
City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo stressed this as they appealed anew to
residents not to let their guards down in the observing preventive measures
against the virus.
Mayor
Benjamin Magalong himself advised as much: “Treat yourself like you have it.
Treat others like they have it and make it a habit.”
City
Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit Head Dr. Donnabel Panes said the risk of
contracting the virus depends on how a person wears his protective gear.
She said the
proper way of wearing facial masks is crucial as the virus can strike at any
moment one leaves his nose or mouth unguarded.
“You can
acquire it with one intake of breath and a person’s respiratory rate is 20 per
minute. Imagine if you breathe in and out 20 times in a minute, our risk
is high so if you don’t wear your PPEs properly, then there is a big
possibility of contracting it,” Panes said.
“So if you
contract it, you cannot blame other people for infecting you because you are
the one wearing your mask. You put down your mask or you kept it lower
than your nostrils and you got infected then you cannot blame that other
person. It’s you who are wearing your mask. We cannot wear your
mask for you,” she added.
Panes said
observing the minimum health standards like hand washing, cough and sneeze
protocol and social distancing are just as important because studies showed
that these measures when properly observed can reduce the risk of transmission
by 80 percent.
“So for our
minimum health standards, please wear masks properly at all times, keep
distance, avoid crowds, wash hands, observe cough and sneeze etiquettes, keep
travels to essentials and void the 3 Cs: Crowded conditions; Close spaces; and
Conversations in short distances.”
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