Cordillera records 4th Covid-19 positive case

Baguio, Cordillera towns bar entry of travelers 

By Liza Agoot and Pigeon Lobien  

BAGUIO CITY-- The Department of Health in the Cordillera Administrative Region on Thursday recorded its fourth positive case of Covid-19.

On its social media page, the DOH-CAR reported a 23-year-old male who has a travel history at the National Capital Region was tested positive.

He is the fourth confirmed positive case in Baguio, along with a 61-year-old and 52-year-old, both females.

The first confirmed case is a 39-year-old male from Abra, an overseas Filipino worker who came home for a vacation.

The DOH-CAR also said there are 198 patients under investigation (PUIs) in the region.

Of the number, 65 are admitted in health facilities, 77 are under home quarantine, and 56 others have been discharged and/or have completed the 14-day mandatory quarantine.

The DOH-CAR said there are also four deaths among PUIs. Two of those who died were tested negative while the test results for the other two are still pending. 

This, as Mayor Benjamin Magalong issued an order March 27 banning non-essential travelers to this city, including Baguio residents who have been stranded in other provinces, except Benguet to lessen spread of Covid-10.

The ban will be effective for the next two weeks but will not include deliveries of food, medicines and other essential items.

Most of the city’s confirmed COVID-19 cases were residents who had history of travel to infected areas.

Magalong said the restriction order was meant to make Baguio “stay ahead of the curve. “We are escalating our ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) status, and will no longer allow Baguio residents who were stranded in other provinces (except Benguet) to enter the City in the next two weeks. During our meeting on March 27, I learned from health officials that we don’t have any local transmission. With this information, an opportunity is present to fast-track our healing process by closing our borders in the next two weeks to non-essential travels, except food and other essential item deliveries and cargoes. I ask for your cooperation and understanding,” said Magalong in a briefing with Baguio health professionals and frontliners.

Mayor Magalong also ordered on Wednesday the police to help the City Epidemiology Surveillance Unity of the Health Services Office to boost the city’s contact tracing system to help arrest the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Magalong has authorized the contact tracing of potential cases ahead of the release of the confirmatory test from the Department of Health-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (DOH-RITM).

“We have to expedite early contact tracing to prevent those persons from infecting others. We should not wait for the confirmatory tests which take days because by that time it will be too late,” he said.

Magalong said the inclusion of investigators from the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) is needed due to their expertise in aiding patients to recall their whereabouts and the people they were with.

He also directed the city Management and Information Technology Division to develop a computer program as a database for patients and their contacts.

He said the present contact tracing system is working well but there are gaps that are now being addressed to make it more effective.

Magalong earlier has asked the DOH-Cordillera and health officials to be more vigilant in contact tracing of highly positive persons and not wait for the final confirmation of the RITM.

Once the “red flag” is on, the DOH should start its contract tracing to be able to be more effective in battling the spread of the disease after the death of one government official whose test result showing Covid-19 positive after the person died and four other persons under investigation.

Baguio has recorded two positive cases now, a 61-year old overseas Filipino worker from Italy and a 52-year-old person.

The city has ordered barangay officials of Loakan Proper, Loakan Liwanag, Loakan Apugan, Fort del Pilar, Kias and Atok Trail to escalate in the next 14 days the enforcement of the enhanced community quarantine.

The two positive cases are said to be from Loakan and Fort del Pilar. – With PNA reports