BRACE FOR COVID-19 SURGE BY STICKING TO PROTOCOLS
June 16, 2021 – Baguio City residents were advised to prepare for another surge in Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases religiously following the health protocols.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said that indications of a brewing spike had been seen as early as last week based on data on the increasing mobility of people prompting him to call for strict compliance to minimum public health standards especially in business establishments, households and transportation.
“While we are continuing to reopen our economy, we need to be careful and the only way is to stick to our minimum public health standards,” the mayor said.
“Adherence to the health protocols remains to be our best weapon. When outside, always wear your masks and shields properly, observe physical distancing, wash hands and disinfect regularly and avoid crowded and enclosed spaces and close conversations,” he said.
“At home, wash your hands and change your clothes, disinfect frequently touched surfaces, observe physical distancing, monitor each other for flu-like symptoms and follow quarantine and isolation protocols if exposed to a positive case;
“Business establishments and public transportation like jeepneys and taxi should strictly observe the face mask and shield requirements among their customers and open their windows for ventilation,” he added.
City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo said mobility indicator showed increased movement of people in the region especially in grocery stores, parks and work places.
“As we all know, increased mobility means increased positivity rate and health care utilization rate so we really expect our cases to rise in the next ten to 14 days,” she said.
The city’s cases had been on the downtrend since June 1 but at present, results of the case frequency measures used to assess the level of community transmission point to the brewing surge.
The 7-day moving average, average daily attack rate and two-week growth rate showed an increasing trend starting June 11.
As of June 16, the city has a total of 13,204 cases, 654 of which active with 12,278 recoveries and 272 deaths. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
