DAVAO CITY — Davao City health authorities recorded 104 cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) through community transmission, or whose exposure to a confirmed positive patient could no longer be established, out of the 643 confirmed positives reported as of Thursday.
In a virtual presser, Dr. Raquel Montejo, contact tracing team leader at the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao Region, said there were COVID-19 cases in the city which have exposure to unknown COVID-19 positive individuals in the community, particularly in areas classified as “high risk” to “very high risk” such as Barangay 23-C, Mintal, Buhangin District, and Agdao District.
“These cases have exposure to unknown individuals in the community. These are the cases which we can no longer establish with whom they are epidemiologically linked to any positive cases, but they all came from areas where there is a local transmission, but we cannot just pinpoint who among the community infected them,” she said.
She cited, for instance, a sidewalk vendor in a densely populated Barangay 23-C contracted COVID-19, but could not determine as to how the patient got infected in the community.
The Barangay 23-C was placed under a 14-day from July 4 to July 18, subject to extension if the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise. As of Sunday, the city government has yet to release the status of the barangay.
Montejo added that, of 878 cases recorded on Thursday, 709 cases have already been investigated.
Out of the 709, she said the agency was able to pinpoint that 212 cases had a history of travel in areas with local transmission, and 358 cases have exposure to COVID-19 patients or suspects.
And of those who had exposure to infected patients, 31 were traced to Matina Gallera. There were 104 cases with exposure to unknown individuals in the community, and four cases related to others events like birthday, wedding, graduation, etc.
Unlike community transmission, Dr. Rachel Pasion, DOH-Davao’s data management officer, said cases of local transmission have known exposure to COVID-19 positive cases.
“For local transmission, it means that the source and transmission can be established. I know the source of my infection,” she said.
The city has seen more COVID-19 cases after it had eased travel restrictions.
The entire city was placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from April 4 to May 15, general community quarantine (GCQ) from May 16 until June 30, and modified GCQ (MGCQ) last July 1 that has been extended until the end of the month.