BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio City Health Services Office (CHSO) recently intensified the its Information and Education Campaign (IEC) in the city’s 128 barangays to instill awareness among the residents on the precautionary measures against the dreaded Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) to prevent its occurrence and spread in the city.
Dr. Donnabel Tubera-Panes, CHSO medical officer, said the different barangay health emergency response teams, in close coordination with the 16 district health centers in the city, are currently implementing this information campaign in the different barangays to ensure that residents are properly informed of the necessary precautionary measures they should adopt to prevent them from contracting the dreaded virus.
Aside from the mandatory information campaign, she added that the barangay health emergency teams were also instrumental in ascertaining the residents in their areas of jurisdiction who have history of travel to China, Hong Kong and Macau, were profiled resulting to the identification of some 7 persons who were monitored but eventually cleared from the virus after the lapse of the 14-day quarantine period.
The Medical Officer claimed members of the teams, with the support from the district health centers, are aggressively pursuing various activities in the city’s barangays to make the people aware of and how to combat the virus so that the city will remain to be COVID-free.
According to her, the awareness of the residents on the appropriate precautionary measures to be observed has significantly improved since the government intensified its information and education campaign on the public health concern thus they are confident there will be no COVID-19 case in the city.
Earlier, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the City Government issued separate directives for the creation of the barangay health emergency response teams in the city to help in cascading to the communities important information on the COVID-19 public health concern to make them aware of the appropriate precautionary measures to take, like, letting sick people stay at home or in a medical facility, avoiding crowded places, all of which shall be observed at all times to prevent them or others from contracting any viral illness that might complicate their existing health conditions.
Tubera urged the residents and visitors to remain vigilant when attending public gatherings to prevent them from acquiring or passing on illnesses that will compromise the health of the people attending the gathering.
Based on the data obtained from the Cordillera Office of the Department of Health (DOH-CAR), 12 persons investigated were given a clean bill of health by the proper authorities after they failed to show symptoms of the COVID-19 after being restricted in their homes or medical facilities during the prescribed 14-year quarantine period.
The COVID-19 originated from Wuhan, China and started to spread in the different parts of the world.
By Dexter A. See