The number of individuals infected by the Covid-19 in the Cordillera has reached more than 2,000 with 28 deaths since March.
The Department of Health-Cordillera reported that as of Oct. 16, there are 2,516 individuals who were infected by the SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes the Covid-19 with Baguio City having the most number with 1,573 followed by Benguet with 535.
Kalinga recorded 182 cases followed by Abra with 92; Ifugao with 68; Apayao with 40; while Mountain Province has the least number with 26.
Of the 2,516 cases regionwide, 713 are active, which means they are either admitted at the hospitals or in the isolation facilities.
Of the 713 cases, 476 or 67 percent were asymptomatic, while 215 or 30 percent are classified as mild cases. Sixteen or two percent are classified as severe while two or one percent are classified as critical cases. There are two cases under verification in terms of the severity of their symptoms.
There are 1,775 recoveries of which 1,038 are from Baguio; 376 from Benguet, 166 from Kalinga, 82 from Abra, 56 from Ifugao, 34 from Apayao, and 23 from Mountain Province.
The provinces of Apayao, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain province have not recorded Covid-19-related deaths so far while Baguio recorded 19 deaths. Benguet recorded eight deaths while Abra has one death.
Baguio City Health Services Office-Infectious Diseases Division Head Donabel Panes said the deaths recorded in the city were patients who had pre-existing health conditions.
Of the 19 Covid-19-related deaths, Panes said 12 were senior citizens or those belonging to the age range 60 years old and above. Two were post-mortem-diagnosed.
The increase in the number of cases is attributed to various factors, foremost of which is the aggressive contact tracing and the clustering of cases, particularly in Baguio, where majority of the cases recorded since September are close contacts of positive cases.
Around 105,018 individuals in the Cordillera have undergone Covid-19 tests with Baguio topping the list of individuals tested with 49,518 followed by Benguet with 27,630.
In Apayao, 6,990 have undergone the Covid-19 test followed by Abra with 6,065; Kalinga with 5,232; Ifugao with 4,808; and Mountain Province with 4,755.
Covid-19 tests are conducted on individuals who got in contact with individuals who were infected by the virus or as part of the expanded screening as a means to identify the possible carriers of the virus and isolate them.
Others are tested as part of the requirements for travel, or as part of the protocol for hospitalization among other reasons. – Jane B. Cadalig
