Mayor Benjamin Magalong urged individuals who self-tested for Covid-19 to report their condition through monitoring forms.
There are now low-cost self-test kits available online that can be used at homes when individuals feel symptoms.
The test results, however, whether positive or negative, should be reported for recording and continued monitoring, the mayor said during the management committee meeting last week where City Health Service Office head Rowena Galpo reported on the Covid-19 cases in the city.
According to CHSO City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit head Donna Tubera-Panes, 20 individuals have reported self-test results, two each on Aug. 13 and 15; Aug. 16 – three; Aug. 17 – four; Aug. 18 and 19, one each; Aug. 20 – three; Aug. 21 and 22, one each; and Aug. 23 – two.
Panes said self-reporting is part of enhanced surveillance.
The CHSO has issued instructions when one is in isolation.
Panes said minimum public health standards should still be followed: proper wearing of face mask, physical distancing, keeping hands clean, good air circulation, and going in isolation when symptoms are felt. Medical check-up should be undertaken.
She added the World Health Organization is elated with Baguio’s practice of Covid-19 self-reporting.
Magalong assured the public the cases are manageable and once cases stabilize, a downtrend is expected.
Actual daily reports, however, is not an honest basis for conclusion as mobility has increased, the mayor said.
The probability of transmission is high as schools have opened for face to face classes, with some coming from adjacent areas and visitors are trooping to the city’s tourist spots. – Julie G. Fianza
