A TOTAL of 23 students and teachers in Mati City were infected with the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) since the start of the face-to-face classes, according to the Mati City Information Office (CIO) on October 15.
Mati City Information Officer Ben Tesiorna told SunStar Davao on Monday, October 17, that the 23 cases were accumulated since August of this year wherein 19 are students and four are teachers.
“As to age and school level, it varies. May elementary, high school, and even daycare (There were cases from elementary, high school, and daycare). Meron rin sa iisang school ay may several cases (There’s also a school with a cluster of cases),” Tesiorna said but he did not disclose the specific ages and schools of the patients.
Tesiorna said a total of 15 schools from Barangays Badas, Sainz, Matiao, Central, Lawigan, Dahican, Don Enrique Lopez, and Don Salvador Lopez were affected.
Of the 23 cases, seven came from Barangay Dahican, followed by Barangay Sainz and Central with four cases each, and two cases each from Barangays Badas, Matiao, and Lawigan.
Barangay Don Enrique Lopez and Don Salvador Lopez have one case each.
A total of 1,020 close contacts were traced from the 23 patients, majority were traced from a patient from Barangay Dahican with 192 close contacts.
Most of the patients were asymptomatic and underwent home quarantine. As of Monday, Tesiorna said only four cases remain active while the rest have already recovered.
Mati IMT commander Dr. Ben Hur Catbagan Jr. said it would be difficult to pinpoint exactly where the patients contracted Covid-19.
“It could be anywhere, history of travel, events attended by the family. Pwede rin sa (It could also be at the) school if unprotected. What matters is if pumasok , malaki ang chance na magka transmission (if they were infected, there’s a big chance for transmission),” he said in a text message.
In line with this, the IMT is coordinating with school and barangay officials for preventive measures to mitigate furher spread of Covid-19 in the classroom settings.
The classrooms of the affected students and teachers are closed for the meantime for four to five days to make way for disinfection, while close contacts under home quarantine will proceed with modular classes until they recover. ICM