An upward trend of daily COVID-19 cases in Benguet prompted the provincial government to suspend its tourism-related activities and crowded gatherings.
In today’s (Sept. 27) Laging Handa public briefing, Benguet Governor Melchor Diclas said that hospitals in the province are being overwhelmed due to the continuous rise of COVID-19 cases.
As of Sept. 26, there are 3,194 active COVID-19 cases in Benguet, including 10 confirmed cases of Delta variant.
Diclas noted that from the previous 10 to 20 average daily case count in the province, it climbed to an average of 300 to 400 new COVID-19 cases at present.
“Hindi po natin ma-pinpoint. Biglaang dumami ang cases. Same protocols naman [ang] ginagawa and [noong] may nag-positive ng Delta rito sa La Trinidad saka [sa] munisipyo, tuloy-tuloy nang dumami ang cases,” Diclas said.
In addition to the protocols set by the local government, Diclas said that truck drivers coming into Benguet to buy vegetables are now being required to take an RT-PCR test to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases in the province.
To date, there are 50,796 fully vaccinated residents in Benguet, out of the target 70% or 280,000 COVID-19-vaccinated individuals to achieve population protection. – Report from Patrick de Jesus / CF -rir
