March 29, 2024

Baguio City is still classified as ‘low risk’ in terms of Covid-19 infections as of Aug. 22, but local officials are expecting the number to increase in the coming weeks due to the start of face-to-face classes.

City Health Services Office (CHSO) Head, Dr. Rowena Galpo said the city’s positivity rate for the past two weeks was 15.33 percent while weekly infection was at 0.84 percent.

BIOSAFETY AND BIOSECURITY — The Health Facility Development Enhancement Unit of the Department of Health-Cordillera conducted a two-day orientation on biosafety and biosecurity and training on nasopharyngeal swab and oropharyngeal swab in Baguio City. The training includes spill management, donning and doffing of personal protective equipment and NPS/OPS collection.
The activity aims to capacitate medical technologists assigned in Baguio City and Benguet so they can serve as reserve arm to nurses. — DOH-CAR photo

She said the city’s average daily attack rate for the period was 11.7/100,000 and growth rate of -6.8 percent (789 to 735) with 342 tests done in the past two weeks.

As of Aug. 22, hospital critical utilization rate was at 22.96 percent while the city’s isolation facility bed occupancy was 23 percent, Galpo said.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong reiterated his warning that an increase in Covid-19 cases would be inevitable with the resumption of face-to-face classes in the city.

He stressed, however, this should not deter the continued conduct of in-person schooling to improve the students’ productivity and learning processes and avert the effects of virtual learning such as low level of assimilation of students.

“We need to learn to live with the virus. We cannot anymore sacrifice the students’ educational needs that they cannot get from the virtual system. Kailangan na talagang pumasok ng mga estudyante,” Magalong said. While inside the classroom, both officials emphasized the need for teachers and students to strictly adhere to minimum public health standards like the wearing of face masks and isolating themselves when experiencing symptoms. – Gaby B. Keith