The government needs an additional 80,000 contact tracers to strengthen contact tracing and stop the spread of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines.
According to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the ideal ratio of the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 contact tracer to 800 individuals, must be followed. DILG data show there are currently 3,397 local contact tracing teams nationwide that consist of more than 54,000 contact tracers.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año recommended to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to initially hire additional 50,000 personnel for the purpose. The hired contact tracers will be assigned to areas and regions with high incidence of COVID-19 cases and will be part of the local government units (LGUs)’ contact tracing team.
Sec. Año also reminded that qualifications of contact tracer must not be taken lightly. He has coordinated with Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III and Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Sonny Dominguez to start hiring more contact tracing teams on July.
Report from Patrick De Jesus
