BAGUIO CITY – The city’s rising Covid-19 cases remain manageable, with most infections classified as mild, Mayor Benjamin Magalong said.

The city recorded 41 Covid-19 cases since the start of the year, including 37 cases in the last week of June. About 78 percent of the cases were mild and mostly involved health care workers.

“These are more of occupational hazards,” Magalong said in an interview on the sidelines of the turnover of the bamboo park at Burnham Park.

“We have communicated with hospitals and health centers to heighten their surveillance, case investigation and contact tracing, and apply safety and health protocols to prevent transmission.”

He also appealed to residents and tourists to take precautions, especially during crowded events.

“Sana maging maingat ang ating kababayan, mga bisita na kapag mag-a-attend ng event na crowded, magsuot ng face mask, huwag makipagkamay, fist bump muna. Take vitamin C para ma-boost ang (Be cautious. Avoid shaking hands, wear face mask and take vitamin C to boost) the immune system,” Magalong said.

He assured visitors that the city’s health system can handle the increase in cases.

“I would like to assure our tourists, don’t worry about what is happening with the increasing number of Covid cases. We can manage it,” he said.

Meanwhile, the City Health Services Office (CHSO) warned residents about the continued spread of influenza-like illnesses during the rainy and colder months.

The CHSO said its influenza-like illness (ILI) surveillance program recorded 1,480 cases from January to July 9.

About one in five patients required hospitalization, majority of them children aged one to 14.

The office said respiratory illnesses tend to occur in overlapping waves involving influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

Data showed that in January, a month marked by colder temperatures and increased crowd activity, recorded cases of influenza A, influenza B, SARS-CoV-2, and respiratory syncytial virus A and B.

Influenza A, influenza B, and SARS-CoV-2 cases were also detected from February to April, while May and June were dominated by SARS-CoV-2 cases.

“This pattern is a reminder that flu season is not a single event. It is a rotating cast of viruses, and the specific threat changes month to month,” the CHSO said in a social media post.

In a press conference Monday, the Department of Health-Cordillera disease surveillance unit reported 3,771 ILI cases in the Cordillera Administrative Region from January to July 6, down 36 percent from the same period last year.

The region recorded 71 Covid-19 cases from January to July 11, or 44.8 percent lower than the same period in 2025. (With PNA)