April 23, 2024

The recent three-day expanded testing in Baguio City has yielded 41 positive cases of Covid-19 or a positivity rate of 1.9 percent.
Dr. Rowena Galpo, City Health Services Office chief, said 3,250 individuals availed of the free PCR testing on Feb. 1 to 3 at the Melvin Jones grandstand at Burnham Park and Camp John Hay, where 41 were found to be Covid-19 positive.
At Melvin Jones, there were 795 tested on Feb. 1; 969 on Feb. 2; 1,127 on Feb. 3; while 368 were tested at Camp John Hay on Feb. 3.
The testing was conducted by the Bases Conversion Development Authority for the fourth time since the pandemic started in 2020.
The city’s Covid-19 tracker shows that as of Feb. 7, Baguio has conducted a total of 116,130 PCR tests since March. Baguio City has a population of 370,000.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said they will exert effort to look for donors of PCR test kits to allow them to continue with the expanded testing.
“Through the expanded testing, we will be able to know the real situation that will guide us in our actions and decisions,” Magalong said.
He said the city continues to ramp up its testing capacity as one of the established strategies to keep track on the transmission of the virus. – PNA