BAGUIO CITY – This city posted 16 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, mainly due to extensive contact tracing and expanded testing, on Friday, September 18.
Four of those who tested positive came from contact tracing efforts, and belonged to a cluster of cases in Barangay Sto. Nino Slaughter. They came from one household which started with five patients being diagnosed as COVID-19 positive on September 11, 14 and 16.
Four other positive patients were ferreted out through contact tracing.
Six new patients tested positive through expanded testing, and were workers from Barangay Lourdes Extention.
Meanwhile, Mayor Benjamin Magalong said they were expecting more COVID-19 infections to surface as more people from the highly susceptible sectors underwent tests in expanded testing sponsored by the National Task Force and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).
Magalong said the testing aims to test more individuals from high risk groups to locate where the infections are coming from and enable the city to undertake the necessary control measures to deter the spread of the virus.
He urged residents to continue doing their part in cooperating with the authorities by observing strictly all the health and safety protocols for their own and their family's protection amid the easing up of quarantine rules in the city.
Magalong said the three-day mass testing was initiated by the city government with the help of BCDA and NTF from September17 to19 at the Baguio Convention Center with the objective of testing some 3,000 persons from high risk sectors.