Yesterday, April 26, 2020, City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo said that the spike in the number of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the city as experienced April 25 was expected and is even seen to continue in the coming days as the city had begun conducting more confirmatory tests with the arrival of additional test kits and machines.
According to Dr. Rowena Galpo, they are expecting more COVID-19 cases when the city formally starts the expanded risk-based testing using the Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) confirmatory test kits. The expanded risk-based testing starts today, April 27, 2020, and will run until May 15, 2020. Two Hundred (200) tests will be done per day.
With risk-based testing, the locality will be able to detect COVID-19 cases early which could lead to the prevention of the transmission of the disease. The risk-based testing will not be only used to test suspected cases who manifest COVID-19 symptoms but will also be used to other groups of probable cases who could be asymptomatic.
Six (6) of the eight (8) patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 last April 25 were tested not because they had symptoms of the disease but because they fell in other categories suited for risk-based testing. The risk-based testing has also been done to the Four (4) new COVID-19 cases yesterday. As of April 26, 2020, there are already Twenty Nine (29) confirmed COVID-19 cases recorded within the city and Sixteen (16) of which were still active cases.
“The new cases included four health workers from the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center and they were tested not because they had symptoms but because they are health workers. The same way that the two Overseas Filipino Workers at Teachers’ Camp were also tested even if they are asymptomatic because of their history of travel.” – City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo
According to Baguio City Mayor Magalong, without mass testing, the city will not be able to determine its true situation as to the extent of the contagion. As Mayor Magalong directed the stricter implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) rules involving lockdowns, curfew, checkpoints, physical distancing, wearing of masks, and others, he urged the residents of Baguio City to be extra conscious in observing health and safety precautions.
SOURCE PIO Baguio
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