From 72 cases on June 12, the number of laboratory confirmed Covid-19 cases in the Cordillera has risen to 108 as of noon of June 19 based on the report of the Department of Health-Cordillera.
Of the 108 confirmed cases recorded since March, 54 are active while 52 have recovered and two died.
The spike in positive cases led leaders of local government units to further heighten contact tracing efforts and have ordered the lockdown of barangays and suspected infected areas and facilities in concerned municipalities to prevent further transmission of the virus.
Of the 109 confirmed cases, eight are from Abra, eight from Apayao, 44 from Baguio, 36 from Benguet, five from Ifugao, and six from Kalinga.
The region has a total of 6,698 suspect cases.
Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr. of Mountain Province, which maintained a Covid-19-free status until June 15, reported on June 16 their first confirmed case, described as male resident of Suquib, Besao who is one of the 22 individuals who had close contact with a Covid-19 positive on June 6.
Of Baguio City’s 44 cases, six are new cases recorded from June 16 to 18. One of them was brought to the hospital where she was declared dead.
The new cases recorded on June 16 include a 10-year-old girl from San Vicente barangay who had an exposure to a known positive case; a 30-year-old female hospital worker from Loakan Road, also with known exposure to a case; and a 60-year-old male from Upper Irisan who is presently confined in a hospital.
The city again recorded three confirmed cases on June 18 – a 28-year-old police officer deployed in La Trinidad, Benguet and resident of Poliwes, Baguio City; a 30-year-old female service crew member from Lower Cypress, Irisan; and a 54-year-old female from Lopez Jaena who died at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center. The City Health Services Office said the latter was hypertensive and complained of chest pain before she was brought to the hospital.
On June 17, La Trinidad recorded five new confirmed positive cases, three of them are police officers, one municipal health worker, and one student. The LGU later delisted the three cases, as they are residents of other areas.
Mayor Romeo Salda has ordered the closure of the municipal hall on June 18 until further notice to allow the conduct of contact tracing and disinfection.
This places the total confirmed cases in Benguet at 36.
Since its first two positive cases on June 10 and 11, Kalinga recorded four more new cases on June 13 – 22 and 25-year-old females and two male frontliners – 36 and 38 years old, all from Tabuk City.
The province, on its official social media account, reported all six patients have tested negative of the virus on their respective repeat swab tests.
Four of them tested negative on June 15 while the first positive case who arrived from Abu Dhabi and the second case – a 30-year-old male – tested negative on their repeat swab test on June 16.
The Tabuk City Health Office reported Kalinga has not recorded new Covid-19 cases since June 14.
In Ifugao, its newest confirmed positive case was recorded on June 17, a seafarer from Hingyon who has been in the province since September 2019.
Apayao’s confirmed cases remain at eight as of June 19. Its last positive case from Flora was reported on June 14. Of the eight cases, one has recovered.
Abra has also remained at eight cases, with five active cases and three recoveries as of June 18. Its last confirmed cases were reported on June 13, a 55-year-old-male and a 43-year-old female, both from Manabo. – Hanna C. Lacsamana
