Benguet province has reached over 1,000 Covid-19 cases with bulk of the active cases recorded in Itogon and Tuba.
As of Oct. 29, the province has 1,076 confirmed cases broken down to 565 active cases, 498 recoveries, and 13 deaths.
Gov. Melchor Diclas said the recent cases in the mining areas of Itogon and Tuba are closely monitored by the provincial and municipal health offices; Department of Health; Office of the Civil Defense; and managements of Philex Mines, Benguet Corp., and Itogon-Suyoc Resources, Inc.
Itogon has listed 202 active cases, bulk of them are close contacts of confirmed cases from Ampucao, Dalupirip, Gumatdang, Loacan, Poblacion, Tinongdan, Tuding, Ucab, and Virac.
Itogon has 58 recoveries and four deaths from the 264 cases since the lockdown in March.
Bulk of the 212 active cases in Tuba are also close contacts of cases from Camp 3, Poblacion, Tadiangan, San Pascual, and Nangalisan. The town has 42 recoveries from the 254 cases.
The cases in Itogon and Tuba were attributed to the condition of bunkhouses where affected miners live with their families.
La Trinidad has the highest total cases with 407, of which 108 are active cases, 294 recoveries, and five are deaths.
Kabayan, which held the longest record of having no Covid-19 case, recently listed three active cases and one death.
Buguias has 14 active cases, 16 recoveries, and three deaths; Sablan has eight active cases and 19 recoveries; Bakun has no active case and 23 recoveries; Mankayan has six active cases and 13 recoveries; and Tublay has six active cases and nine recoveries.
Bokod has three active cases and eight recoveries, Kapangan has two active cases and nine recoveries, Kibungan has no active case and four recoveries, and Atok has one active case and three recoveries.
Diclas said more isolation facilities would be put up in the province to address the surge in Covid-19 cases.
The mining companies in Itogon and Tuba are coordina-ting with the province in the putting up of isolation facilities for their employees and their families. The Itogon District hospital would soon admit positive patients soon.
One of the bunkhouses in Benguet with 50 occupants, who are Covid-19 positive, was temporarily converted into an isolation facility.
The Department of Public Works and Highways has committed P13 million for the put up of a collapsible building to be placed within Benguet General Hospital as an additional isolation area.
The provincial government is also coordinating with Baguio for additional isolation facilities such as Eurotel and Teacher’s Camp. – Ofelia C. Empian
