Baguio Covid-19 toll breaches century mark

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.

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“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.”