Low contact tracing is major factor in COVID-19 surge – DILG

The current close contact tracing ratio of one is to seven is far-off from the desired one is to 30 ratio under the “Magalong formula,” a factor that led to the surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the country.

- CHITO A. CHAVEZ and ELLALYN DE VERA –RUIZ

COVID-19 UPDATE IN PH

626,893 -CONFIRMED CASES

5,404 -NEW CASES

12,837 -DEATHS

560,577 -RECOVERED

Magalong is Baguio City mayor and contact tracing czar Benjamin Magalong.

In a press briefing, Monday, March 15, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya admitted that the figure is very alarming as he urged local government units (LGUs) to improve in their contact-tracing efforts.

Admitting that the contact-tracing ratio is a performance indicator, Malaya said the DILG has been doing the rounds of the LGUs specifically in areas with high COVID-19 cases to coordinate with the local officials. He said this is being done with Magalong.

Malaya said the DILG urged LGUs not to focus only on the first level close contacts of the COVID-19 positive patients but down to the second and third generation of close contacts.

The DILG official noted many variables involved in contact tracing citing incidents when the contact tracers get sick and are unable to perform their tasks, uncooperative individuals who refused to provide complete information on their close contacts and the complacency of the contact tracers who think that the pandemic has ended when the national vaccination program started.

Malaya said these are contributory factors that led to the sub-par contact tracing ratio but assured that efforts will relentlessly be pursued to improve on the performance.