Covid-19 testing yields more cases in Benguet

FOLLOWING the aggressive community testing conducted in La Trinidad, Itogon and Tuba in Benguet Province, some 158 individuals were confirmed to have been infected with the novel coronavirus.

From November 5 to 6, a total of 915 persons were swabbed in Itogon, 752 in Tuba and 1,187 in La Trinidad.

Data show that as of 9:23 p.m. of November 8, of the 2,854 individuals who were swabbed in the three towns, 158 yielded positive results, with bulk of the new cases recorded in the mining town of Itogon.

Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan said of the 761 swab tests conducted last November 5, there were 95 additional confirmed cases in the town.

"Tested individuals were close contacts of previously confirmed cases in Balatoc, Virac," Palangdan said.

Palangdan added the Itogon Municipal Health Office, together with the Cordillera Regional Task Force (RTF-Covid-19), is exerting all efforts for the immediate isolation of the new confirmed cases.

On Saturday, 68 patients recovered from Barangays Virac, Poblacion, and Ampucao.

As of 1 p.m. of November 8, there are 373 Covid-19 active cases in the mining town, with 263 in Virac, 67 in Poblacion, 14 in Ampucao, 10 in Tuding, six in Tinongdan, five each in Loacan in Ucab, three in Dalupirip and zero in Gumatdang.

The 373 active cases are currently admitted at the Itogon Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility (TTMF), ISRI TTMF, Rural Health Station, Virac TTMF, BCI Guesthouse, Benguet hospitals, Provincial TTMF, Philex and others remain in home isolation, while isolation facilities are still being looked into for 88 individuals.

The aggressive community testing is sponsored by the National Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease (NTF-EID) Aggressive Community Testing (ACT) program in coordination with the Local Government Units, Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), and John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC).

In La Trinidad, Mayor Romeo Salda ordered the temporary closure of the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post for disinfection and contact tracing over the weekend.

He also ordered the "No swab results, No entry" policy for traders, packers, porters, and truckers of the trading post.

"The La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Post is a beehive of activity where traders, disposers, drivers and helpers meet in mass and come and go even from areas where there are positive cases of Covid-19," he added.

Of the 1,187 individuals tested in La Trinidad during the weekend, 45 yielded positive results and they are now in home quarantine and being monitored by the Municipal Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit and the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team.

As of November 8, the Provincial Government recorded 158 new recoveries, 799 active cases, 1,636 confirmed cases, 842 total recoveries, and 15 deaths.

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