Here’s another feat for healthcare frontliners working to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
Baguio City has recorded the first centenarian to have recovered from the infection – a 106-year-old resident of Barangay Irisan.
The Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center discharged the patient on Oct. 20 after his swab result tested negative of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes the Covid-19.The centenarian is said to be the oldest Covid-19 survivor in the country.
The patient underwent swab test on Oct. 9 after experiencing mild symptoms. His test yielded a positive result.
He was confined at the BGHMC despite showing mild symptoms because of his age, which is under the vulnerable population.
BGHMC Infectious Disease Specialist, Dr. Thea Cajulao, said the 106-year-old patient was put under oxygen support when he was at the hospital, but he was never intubated or no tube was inserted into his lungs.
As with other patients who recovered from the infection, BGHMC officials, healthcare providers, and staff members arranged a send-off ceremony for the centenarian.
Senior citizens and people with existing health conditions are among those in the vulnerable group for the Covid-19.
Cajulao said most of the severe and critical patients admitted to the BGHMC are senior citizens.
As of Oct. 22, Baguio has recorded 1,790 positive cases, of which 545 are active and currently admitted in health facilities. There are 1,221 recoveries and 24 deaths.
In terms of the number of individuals tested, 54,320 have been tested, the highest so far in the region.
While Baguio was identified in a study by the University of the Philippines OCTA Research Team as one of the high-risk areas for the Covid-19, the Department of Health shared the call of Mayor Benjamin Magalong for the public not to panic.
DOH-Cordillera Director Ruby Constantino said that while the city might have been identified as a high risk, it is because the increasing number of cases is a result of the aggressive contact tracing and expanded testing being conducted by the city government.
“This means that the more you test, the more you are able to identify who among the population has the (virus), which is good because you are able to isolate them to prevent further transmission. It does not mean that there are no cases in other places; there might be carriers there, but they are not tested,” Constantino said.
Covid-19 cases in the Cordillera have reached 2,798 of which 830 are active.
There are 109,059 individuals who have undergone the Covid-19 test. – Jane B. Cadalig
