Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong disclosed they are now “experiencing [the] second wave” of the COVID-19 infection a month after the city has flattened its curve.
The local government attributed the recent increase to the frequent travels of many residents in Baguio as the economy gradually reopened. Magalong has already ordered the implementation of stricter border control, reimplementation of the Sunday lockdown and liquor ban, closure of the Baguio City Public Market every Sunday, and intensified disinfection measures in all establishments.
He reminded the public anew to strictly observe the minimum health standards.
“We just have to innovate, continue innovating, continue to be very aggressive sa contact tracing and then sa testing ‘no? Dati-rati wala eh, hindi ba? Nagtest tayo ng mga 10% ng iba-ibang sector okay eh. Then suddenly few weeks ago naramdaman natin tumaas tayo (We tested 10% of various sectors which was okay. Then suddenly, we felt an increase a few weeks ago),” Magalong stated.
As of July 28, Baguio City has a total of 100 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 47 of whom are active.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) said the country remains in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic despite the increase in cases within the past few days due to expanded testing and eased restrictions.
“As for the second wave, nag-aaral tayo, pero wala pa tayong nai-dedeclare na ganito. Hindi pa rin natin nakikita na mayroon tayong ganyan (As for the second wave, we are still studying it, but we have not declared anything yet. We have not yet seen that we have it),” DOH USec. Vergeire explained.
Other countries are now bracing for the second wave as they also ease restrictions. Experts say the first wave must end with a substantial fall in cases prior to the declaration of second wave.
There are key indicators in identifying the level of quarantine restrictions for the following weeks. The DOH is currently monitoring the country’s case doubling time at 8.65 days, case fatality rate at 2.5 percent, and positivity rate at 8.8 percent. Hospitals’ capacity in coping with the spike in cases is also considered.
As of July 28, there are 83,673 confirmed cases in the country, 55,109 of whom are active. Recoveries increased to 26,617 while number of fatalities reached 1,947. – Report from Mark Fetalco
