The Tuguegarao city government is now concerned about the resurgence of the COVID-19 case.
According to the city health office, on Wednesday, August 11, there are 759 active cases, of which 73 are new cases, and one of them is re-exposure of COVID-19 to a resident who was previously ill.
But what the local government feared most was the recorded COVID-19 deaths. In the data from August 6 to 8, there were 9 COVID-19 related deaths, of which 4 died in the hospital while 5 died at their homes.
“Ang nakakabahala po dito sa 5, they were never included in our contact. They were not included in our positive cases. We only found out that they were positive when we swabbed them noong namatay na,” said Mayor Jefferson Soriano in a press briefing.
The city government is now considering the possibility that those who died were infected by their relatives leaving the house.
“Majority of them are aged na. Ang sinasabi ng mga relative hindi sila lumalabas, bed-ridden at saka natural death. Pero andu’n pa rin naman ‘yung protocol natin . . . Sina-swab natin para alam naming ang ilalagay sa death certificate,” said Dr. Marcos Mallinllin.
Some COVID-19 patients in Tuguegarao die at home
Officials see several reasons why other COVID-19 patients are no longer taken to the hospitals.
“May mga wala ng kakayahan na magdala ng pasyente nila sa hospital. Ang masakit . . . alam mo ‘yong kaugalian na hindi na napaglalamayan at tuloy na ngang inililibing, ‘yon ang dahilan kung bakit iniiwasan nilang nagdadala sa hospital,” said Councilor Rolando Ortiz.
The city government now sees a solution to alleviate the increasing number of COVID-19 cases by re-subjecting Tuguegarao to 10 days of enhanced community quarantine from August 12 to 21.
It will be extended for 7 days if cases would not decrease under the agreement of the city government and the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force.
“Kailangan talaga i-report sa amin. Hindi po tayo Diyos na malalaman naming ang kalagayan ng bawat isang tao. Kailangan po ang kooperasyon ng bawat isa,” said Soriano.
Meanwhile, residents are advised to immediately contact the Tuguegarao City COVID-19 Bayanihan Help Line at 0936-888-1902, 0908-240-7005 0936-888-1308 if they feel any symptoms.
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