BAGUIO CITY - As part of the contact tracing system, Mayor Benjamin Magalong continued its practice of convincing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients to reveal their identifies to fast-track the identification of people who they came in contact with.
Gilbert Jocson, 42, taxi driver and resident of West Modernsite Aurora Hill, agreed to have his identity disclosed to the public to help in the contact tracing effort of the city government.
He said that, in the evening of July 21, after ferrying passengers all day, he felt feverish and had a slight itchiness in his throat.
“I distanced myself from my wife and two minor children and stayed home the next day,” Jocson said.
He went for a check-up at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) triage area on July 23, and the result came out positive on July 24.
“I am asking all those I have gotten contact with to please go to the health centers nearest them and undergo check-up. I have submitted the manifest of passengers I serviced to authorities, and I am appealing to passengers whose names are on the logbook to please cooperate once contact tracers get to them,” Jocson added.
Magalong said the strategy of disclosing the identity of COVID-19 positives, which started in the last week of March, has proven instrumental in hastening contact tracing, and, thereby, helping save a lot of lives through early isolation, testing, disinfection and medical interventions.
To ensure that the patients' rights to data privacy are not violated, their consent are sought. They are given absolute freedom to decide, and are never coerced. If they refuse, their decision is respected. If they agree, a consent form is signed to formalize their decision.