IN MANDAUE City, 6.7 percent of individuals who got swabbed tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
August Lizer Malate, head of the city’s Emergency Operations Center of Mandaue City, said 502 of the 8,121 individuals who got swabbed from Jan. 1 to Feb. 6 tested positive.
Last month, the city averaged 13 new cases every day, he said.
Seventy to 80 percent of the positive patients are working class. Their age ranges from 20 to 40, he said.
Malate said they could not say if the increase in cases was caused by the holidays since it has been more than 30 days since Christmas and New Year.
He said demographics show that the workers from so-called frontline service providers such as commercial establishments are the ones exposed to the virus due to their nature of work.
“It is not surprising because they are the most exposed since they cater to clients on a day-to-day basis,” said Malate.
However, he said they still cannot confirm if the workers were infected in the workplace.
Malate said the workers could have been infected while commuting to work, adding that there are other aspects to consider.
He said they’ve tasked contact tracing teams to determine what activities the patients had in common.
Malate said the increase in the number of cases is no cause for alarm since they’ve intensified their testing.
Meanwhile, Malate said a Business Permit and Licensing Office enforcement team together and city police have been checking establishments for compliance with safety and health protocols since Feb. 1.
Based on the DOH 7 Covid-19 report on Feb. 7, 2021, Mandaue City recorded 470 active cases, with 2,615 recoveries and 175 deaths. (KFD)