[ad_1]
BAGUIO has again been marked as a “high risk area” by an independent research group due to the continued increase in coronavirus infections.
Octa Research marked the city’s return to the high-risk circle with Mankayan, in Benguet, as the only areas in Luzon in the group, Makati for the national capital region, and Davao city for the Mindanao island group.
Octa’s team said Baguio recorded 16 cases a day from November 24 to 30 and 32 cases a day from December 1 to 7 with an attack rate of 6.3 percent and a hospital occupancy of 68 percent.
“We list high-risk LGUs based on a high number of cases per day, a high positivity rate, a high attack rate, and / or a high hospital occupancy. We are concerned that these LGUs may experience a high hospital burden in the In the next few weeks it may affect your healthcare medical systems and overwhelm your front-line physicians. With this increased mobility, we should expect a gradual increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Metro Manila. concern as long as clusters of cases are contained by our LGU contact tracing teams, “Octa’s team said.
As of Dec. 8, Baguio has 301 active Covid-19 cases with 45 deaths and 2,921 recoveries, bringing the total to 3,267.
The city has also opened tourist activities and reached the 10,000 arrival mark last month in a bid to revive the economy.
Night market activities and Christmas celebration have also been planned.
However, waves of crowds in the failed attempt to open the night market weeks ago resulted in its closure as crowd control systems are being calibrated.
In the latest study, Benguet is also among the provinces of concern for the significant number of cases, along with areas such as Davao del Sur, Isabela, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Leyte and Bataan.
“At the national level, the data shows that we had a decrease in cases, but the cases are more widespread throughout the country. The situation remains fragile at the local level and requires more careful monitoring. Given the large differences in access to healthcare facilities from region to region, it is important to develop testing capabilities / isolation areas in Mindanao and Visayas, where the increase in Covid-19 cases may be more difficult to manage and control, “the group said.
The team said that, based on the available data, they believe that the increases in new cases are largely cases of community transmission exacerbated by the significant increase in mobility within and between provinces due to poor or lax border controls, scant evidence. and quarantines with leaks as a result of the opening and expansion of economic activity throughout the country in recent months.
Furthermore, the deterioration of compliance with the minimum health standard by some citizens due to pandemic fatigue and the failure of LGUs to monitor and enforce GCQ regulations have also contributed to the spikes, especially in metropolitan areas, he added. .
“In some places, the situation is further aggravated by continued post-typhoon effects. An increase in new cases is expected in the coming weeks due to pressures exerted by the aforementioned factors along with the seasonal fever. This is especially likely in urban centers like the NCR. This is expected based on the experience of countries such as the US and Canada that have recently celebrated Thanksgiving. In both cases, the holiday celebrations led to significant spikes in Covid-19 cases. We can learn from their experiences, and we can do better to mitigate an increase, “Octa added.
Octa’s team also labeled La Trinidad (Benguet) as part of the list of “local government units of interest” with other areas in Luzon such as Tugegarao (Cagayan), San Pablo (Laguna) and Balanga (Bataan), and Quezon City, Pateros. and Muntinlupa (NCR).
“The following LGUs are classified as moderate risk areas but remain areas of concern because they all experienced an increase in the number of new cases for the period of December 1-7. In addition, these LGUs are also characterized by having attack rates greater than five percent or that their hospital utilization is already above 50 percent. Subsequent LGUs should be monitored, “the team said.
[ad_2]
