Baguio gov’t aids 5,034 Covid-afflicted residents

BAGUIO CITY --  The CITY government extended assistance to some 5,034 individuals reportedly afflicted with Covid-19 during the first quarter of this year.
    City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) officer-in-charge Liza Bulayongan said assistance included psychological first aid with the assistance of partner offices, such as the City Health Services Office (CHSO) and Outstanding Women Leaders (OWLs).
    Some families of afflicted individuals were given family food packs and other support services, like financial assistance, for them to cope with the difficult situation, she added.
    The CSWDO official said psychological first aid was being done to ensure Covid-afflicted individuals and their families are ready for their temporary separation as the sick will have to be isolated in the existing health facilities in the city for a certain period of time pursuant to established guidelines by the health department and the inter-agency task force for the management of emerging infectious diseases.
    Bulayongan said family food packs have also been given because most families were not ready for granular lockdowns in their places and that they deserve to be given such assistance having qualified under guidelines of the city government.
    According to her, this assistance to Covid-afflicted individuals will continue because there are still Covid-19 cases that being recorded on a daily basis although the situation is manageable at this time because of the low number of cases that caused the lowering of the city’s alert level.
    She reported that social workers are ready for any eventuality in the coming months with the projected surge in cases caused by the presence of certain more transmissible variants of the virus.
    Earlier, health authorities warned people of possible surge in Covid-19 cases in the coming weeks because of numerous gatherings in parts of the country due to the ongoing campaign period for the upcoming May 9, 2022 synchronized national and local elections and the seemingly complacency of the public in adhering to the minimum public health standards such as the wearing of face masks, observance of physical distancing and the practice of personal hygiene and disinfection both in the homes and workplaces. - Dexter A. See