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Philippines

Quezon City monitors 1,915 minors for possible COVID-19 infection

Philippines

Quezon City monitors 1,915 minors for possible COVID-19 infection

By Joseph Pedrajas

At least 1,915 Quezon City residents aged 18 and below are being monitored by the local government for possible coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infection after getting in close contact with positive patients.

The local government on Tuesday said this was discovered following the launching of the city's artificial intelligence-based platform, called BantAI COVID, where some 8,000 suspected patients have been enrolled for monitoring.

“Sa nasabing bilang, napansin natin na may naitalang 920 close contacts na nasa edad 0 hanggang 10 taon habang nasa 995 naman ang itinuturing na adolescent o nasa pagitan ng 11 hanggang 18 anyos (There are 920 individuals aged 10 and below who are close contacts of COVID-19 patients while 995 individuals are aged 11 to 18),” City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) head Dr. Rolly Cruz said.

The CESU therefore concluded that the "further transmission of COVID-19 occurs within the households of positive individuals" as "supported by the data."

"The children and adolescents are currently confined within their homes due to the quarantine and their exposure to the virus is due to the adults," Cruz noted.

BantAI COVID is an SMS platform that utilizes AI and text messaging through mobile phones to enhance contact tracing and daily monitoring of symptoms of suspected and probable COVID-19 cases who are under home quarantine.

Using BantAI COVID’s data analytics, the local government is provided with "a real-time picture of the pandemic situation" that enables them to maximize resource allocation and decisions.

Mayor Joy Belmonte said the city government can now craft new policies and strategies to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 within the communities following the recent COVID-19 data they obtained.

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