CEBU CITY, Philippines — The new Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Cebu City were mostly transmitted through close contacts.
Out of the 16 new cases recorded on December 29, 2020, 15 of these individuals were close contacts of previously recorded cases.
Doctor Michelle Insalata, the assistant city health officer, said in a statement that this recent trend is a reminder of the necessity for quick and efficient contact tracing following the identification of a new case.
“Why is this important? This data highlights the fact that quarantining identified close contacts even before they test positive ‘halts’ the transmission to the outside preemptively.”
“Thus, for us at the EOC (Emergency Heatlh Center), positive close contacts do not worry us so much since we already identified and isolated them even before they tested positive. What worries us more is when there are more fresh cases identified…. this means that outside transmission is not controlled,” said Insalata.
The doctor urged the public to self isolate when they feel flu-like symptoms.
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Yet it is most encouraged for these individuals to also subject themselves to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) test so that should they prove positive, contact tracing can immediately be conducted.
“On the other hand, it also highlights the importance of extracting patients who test positive for isolation in isolation facilities. Doing this promptly will stop the transmission in the household. Voluntarily isolating one’s self once you show symptoms is another way of protecting your loved ones and co-workers. Get tested and continue quarantine,” she added.
Based on the recent data of the EOC, the infection has leveled out between household transmission comprising 42.6 percent of the new cases and outside transmission comprising 57.53 percent.
This means that the virus can spread more through going out than staying at home, but the virus can easily be brought home as well.
The EOC reminds the public to follow health protocols to prevent the spread of the virus amid the threats of new strains surfacing around the world.
The city currently has 96 active cases remaining as of December 29, 2020.
/bmjo