Magalong says contact tracing ratio in PH still below ideal number

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s contact tracing czar for COVID-19, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong lamented on Monday the slow progress in contact tracing efforts, citing the still below ideal ratio of contact tracers to close contacts of coronavirus patients of 1:7 to 1:9.

“Nag-iimprove naman po kaya lang parang usad pagong (It is improving but the progress is so slow),” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo when asked about the status of contact tracing efforts in the country.

“Nag-umpisa tayo sa 1:3, naging 1:4, ngayon naman nasa 1:7, umabot po ‘yan ng 1:9. So nandyan po tayo sa range na ‘yan, 1:9, 1:7. Unti-unti po,” he added.

(We started at 1:3, then 1:4 and now it is at 1:7 and reached 1:9. The range now is 1:7 to 1:9. It slightly increases.)

Magalong has long been pointing out the gap between the current and ideal ratio of contact tracers to close contacts who should be traced per each COVID-19 patient.

He earlier said this ratio should be 1:30 to 1:37 in urban areas, and 1:25 to 1:30 in rural areas.

Meanwhile, Magalong said the hiring of additional 50,000 contact tracers also helped improve the state of contact tracing in the country as the COVID-19 pandemic persists.

“Unti-unti po natin ine-enhance sa kanila ‘yung contact tracing capability, at the same time nagdadagdag na po tayo ng additional technology lalo na po ‘yung bagong uniform data collection tool,” he added.

(We are gradually enhancing their contact tracing capabilities and at the same time we are integrating new technology especially the new uniform data collection tool.)

However, Magalong also said that once more contact tracers are deployed, the number of COVID-19 cases may also increase because of improved monitoring of the patients’ close contacts.

Based on the bulletin released by the Department of Health on Wednesday, the country has already recorded a total of 412,097 COVID-19 cases with additional 1,383 cases since the pandemic began.

Of the total count, 24,474 are active cases, 374,666 are recoveries, and 7,957 are deaths.

EDV