WHO execs cite Baguio Covid response, tracing

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- Baguio City’s contact tracing methodology for Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) continues to make waves catching interest of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Mayor Benjamin Magalong presented the scheme before WHO Regional Office for Western Pacific Regional Director Dr. Takeshi Kasai and Country Representative Dr. Rabi Abeyasinghe and Dept. of Health Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo during the Joint WHO-DOH Visit to the Cordillera Administrative Region on COVID-19 Response last July 10 at the Baguio Country Club.

The visit was part of the WHO’s documentation of Covid-19 best measures being implemented in the countryside to determine best practices that can be learned and shared with the end in view of improving the strategy in handling the pandemic.

During the forum, the team also looked into the Covid-19 strategies of Benguet province as presented by Gov. Melchor Diclas as well as the medical program of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center by Medical Officer Dr. Ricardo Ruñez Jr.

In his keynote message, Kasai said the city’s contact tracing system has gained impressive feedback in the country and WHO wanted to learn its mechanics first-hand in recognition of contact tracing as a key to changing the course of the outbreak.

The next day, the team toured the city’s Contact Tracing Command Center where they were walked through the process which involves approaches on detection, isolation, testing and tracing.

A homegrown process put together by the mayor, it integrates police cognitive interviewing technique, computerized data collection and link analysis tools and patient identity disclosure to maximize gathering of contact information and facilitate quarantine, testing, disinfection and medical protocols.

The WHO representatives expressed appreciation of the city’s system and noted similarities in some of the approaches to those being implemented in Singapore and South Korea, according to City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo and City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit head Dr. Donnabel Tubera.

They were also impressed by the mayor’s strong leadership in getting the system together and the cooperation of the people, the city health officials added.

Due to this, Magalong was designated as the country’s contact-tracing czar in the battle against Covid-19.

Persons with an “investigative mindset,” including former investigators and intelligence personnel, can be tapped to help track down patients with suspected coronavirus infection, Magalong said Monday.

Magalong was former head of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG).

“We are talking about the interviewers because this will be composed of PNP investigators at health workers. Unang-una, partnership po ito, kailangan din po natin ng doctors, kailangan din po natin ng nurses. Kailangan din po natin ng mga retired investigators or law enforcement investigators (First, this is a partnership. We will need doctors, nurses, retired investigators or law enforcement investigators),” he said during a televised press briefing Monday.

“Probably, kung talagang kulang na kulang na po tayo, kailangan po nating kumuha ng mga dating mga criminologist. Puwede rin po nating kunin iyong mga retired na intelligence personnel (Probably if we face a shortage, we will get former criminologists. We can also get retired intelligence personnel),” he said.

The new contact tracers will be trained on “cognitive interviewing” to effectively trace close contacts of a coronavirus patient, according to Magalong.

“Ang pinakaimportante po dito na qualification ay mayroon kahit papano pong tinatawag nating investigative mindset, iyong inquisitive iyong tao (The most important qualification is having an investigative mindset, an inquisitive person),” he said.

He said the analysts, encoders, technical support and community support teams will also be tapped to assist in the contact tracing efforts.  He said the training of contact tracers on cognitive interviewing and technology applications such as COVID-19 data collection tool, geographical information, and analytical tool-link analysis may take a week.

“I want to tell you that we will radically change the structure of our contact tracing system),” he said.

As of July 13, the country has recorded 57,006 cases of coronavirus with 1,599 deaths and 20,371 recoveries.