‘Baguio logs 106 Delta cases’

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Thirty more cases were added to Baguio’s Delta variant of COVID, bringing the total number to 106 as of the first week of this month, a recent biosurveillance report of the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) said.

Aside from the Delta variant, the PGC also reported that there were 116 Alpha cases detected in the city while Beta cases remain at 52.

It said there were 274 variants of concern detected in the city during the same period.

Baguio has been seeing fewer new COVID cases in the past two weeks after its bout with the Delta-driven surge in August.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the surge lasted for a month and three weeks.

He advised residents to continue observing minimum health protocols and social distancing.

Baguio’s health services office considers October as the city’s new deadliest month of the pandemic, wherein it posted the highest monthly COVID death at 171, driven largely by the Delta variant.

The city’s previous highest fatality was recorded in September with 136.

City health officer Rowena Galpo said the October figure comprised 25.7 percent of the city’s total mortality of 665 as of Nov. 1.

The number included 17 deaths that occurred in the previous months, but were reported only last month as authorities were still validating and updating the records at the time.

Magalong said the death rate slowed down in the past week.

Records from the University of the Philippines-Baguio showed most of the fatalities were elderly and persons with comorbidities.

Iloilo City tops vax rate

Meanwhile, Iloilo City ranked first in the vaccination rate among areas located outside Luzon and the National Capital Region, Mayor Jerry Treñas announced yesterday.

Data showed that 92.11 percent of the city’s target population are fully vaccinated.

“We are taking a leap toward herd immunity,” Treñas said in a post on Facebook.

He said the city continues to conduct its vaccination program and is prepared to give booster shots to the people.

“The city procured vaccines from various pharmaceutical companies to fast-track our vaccination program as well as for booster shots once it is approved by the government,” he said.

Treñas commended his vaccination team and the community for supporting efforts to end COVID.

“I would also like to extend my gratitude to the IATF for sending vaccines, and the city council and the school board for their unquestionable assistance in these trying times,” he said, referring to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año cited Iloilo City for having a high vaccination rate.

The same report, which indicated the Department of Information and Communications Technology as the source, showed the entire Western Visayas has a vaccination rate of 30.19 percent.

Bacolod City posted a vaccination rate of 42.67 percent.