BAGUIO CITY – This city recorded its 20th coronavirus disease (COVID-19) fatality, even as 36 new cases were recorded, on Sunday, October 18.
The latest fatality was a 43-year-old male, who died on Saturday, October 17, due to acute respiratory distress syndrome, severe pneumonia, and COVID-19.
He was admitted at a hospital on October 10 after suffering from fever and cough for four days. Health authorities were still determining if he had other comorbidity conditions.
Of the new patients, 24 were contact traced (CT), seven were detected through expanded testing, three were tested for other reasons, and two were symptomatic.
Of the new cases, eight were minors, including a two-day-old boy.
As of 5 p.m., October 18, the city has posted a total of 1,639 confirmed cases, 546 active, 1,073 recoveries and 20 deaths.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the COVID-19 fight in the city has shifted to the households as seen in the current statistics.
This meant that city's strategies should now target families and neighborhoods to engender a behavioral change in such a way that minimum health standards against the disease becomes part of their way of life even at home.
Magalong asked the barangay officials to take the lead in implementing the new programs in their areas of jurisdiction which include an information education communication (IEC) campaign, conduct of dialogues and COVID-19 information dissemination in barangay areas, which have the potential to become flashpoints or hotspots, and the incentivization of barangays that are complying with the health measures.