BAGUIO CITY – With the death toll in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) up by 40 percent in less than a month, Mayor Benjamin Magalong has tasked the City Health Services Office (CHSO) to immediately confer with private and public medical experts, as well as the Department of Health (DOH) -Cordillera to find ways to prevent more fatalities directly or indirectly caused by virus.

Magalong said that, during a recent meeting of the city’s Management Committee (MANCOM), the increased number of COVID-19-related deaths was noted.

"We cannot just leave it at that. We have to do something. Let’s set a roadmap on how to address the death incidence and let's arrest it," Magalong said.

City Health Services Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo said, from the 48 reported deaths in the city as of December 14, the number of COVID-related deaths increased to 71 as of January 5, or an average of one death a day in the past three weeks, raising the city's COVID-19 mortality rate to 1.77 percent.

Galpo said most of the recent fatalities were either declared dead on-arrival or brought in too late to hospitals. They were mostly senior citizens with pre-existing illnesses, the most common of which were hypertension and diabetes.

“Our utmost concern now is to protect the vulnerable and they are our elderly and persons with underlying conditions so everyone must adhere to the health standards and see to it that they do not bring the virus to their homes and to their loved ones who are vulnerable,” Galpo said.

She also advised those living with the elderly and the ailing persons to have their relatives seek immediate consultation on the first sign or symptom, noting that most families avoid medical consultations due to fear of contracting the virus at the health facilities or of hospital confinement which meant not being able to take care of their loved ones.

“Early consultation and early detection mean early medical intervention and better chances of getting healed. We have to seek consultation early if we want our loved ones especially the elderly to have a better chance of surviving the virus or any other disease,” Galpo said.

From January 1 to 8, the city recorded nine deaths, bringing the total to 74 (1.80 percent) fatalities since the start of pandemic in March.

The city posted a marked increase of new cases of 40, on Friday, of which, 26 were contact traced, three detected through expanded testing, nine were symptomatic, and two as a result of medical requirements.