No new case in Baguio for 9 days

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — No new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case was recorded in this city for the ninth day in a row on Monday.

The last confirmed case was on March 28, Mayor Benjamin Magalong said.

“If this trend continues, the city can claim to have truly flattened the curve or reined in the insidious disease,” Magalong said.

He credited the “success” in maintaining a zero new case to the strong working link between the city government, national government agencies led by the Department of Health-Cordillera Administrative Region office, Inter Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and private sector.

Magalong also cited  “out-of-box” solutions, such as mandatory wearing of facemasks, contact tracing of suspected cases and the patients’ identity disclosure.

“We have good contact tracing. No transmission as far as of today,” city health officer Rowena Galpo said.

Baguio has recorded 14 COVID-19 cases, with seven recoveries and one death. There are 362 persons under investigation (PUIs), 16 of whom remain confined in hospitals.  

Meanwhile, Magalong gave the go-signal for rapid tests of health workers and PUIs to hasten the identification of those who are infected with the flu virus and facilitate treatment, isolation and contact tracing.

He said PUIs with mild symptoms who would test positive would be subjected to confirmatory tests. Those with negative results will be asked to continue their 14-day quarantine.