Mayor Benjamin Magalong said Baguio City’s contact tracing efficiency has remained up to the mark.
“Our cumulative contact tracing ratio is at one patient to 14 contacts (1:14) so we’re good considering the fact that Delta variant’s infection rate is at 1:6 or 1:8. We’re okay when it comes to our contact tracing,” he said.
He said the ratio went down in the past two weeks to 1:11 because most of those infected were on a work-from-home arrangement, reducing the number of their contacts.
“Some companies heeded our earlier call to reduce manpower capacity by 50 percent so marami sa nagkaroon ng infection ay nasa work-from-home kaya konti ang close contacts so that was one of the major factors kaya bumaba pero our cumulative ratio remains at 1:14,” he said.
As part of its multi-pronged contingency measures against the Delta variant, the city worked to maintain its contact tracing capability.
Magalong said the city trained volunteers from the Baguio City Police Office and the private sector, particularly the business process outsourcing (BPO) companies for augmentation.
He said partnership with the private sector through the BPO companies with large manpower to help in the contact tracing operations of local government units is being done nationwide.
At present, there are 62 contact tracers from the BCPO while the city has 102.
The city is keeping track of its contingency plans against the Delta varian,t which include stockpiling of critical medicines, oxygen, and apparatus for hospitals and facilities; establishment of more isolation beds in preparation for increased hospitalizations; enhancement of border control, lockdown rules, contact tracing, testing, isolation, vaccination; and other prevent-detect-isolate-treat-reintegrate or PDITR strategies. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
April 26, 2024
