TUGUEGARAO CITY—The province of Cagayan has registered five COVID-19 deaths in the last 15 days, which alarmed officials here.
Dr. Carlos Cortina II, Cagayan provincial health officer, said most of the fatalities had preexisting health conditions and died while being treated at the Cagayan Valley Medical Center.
Three of the latest deaths were from this city while the other two were from the towns of Sta. Ana and Gattaran.
The Cagayan Valley region has recorded a total of 104 COVID-19 fatalities since the pandemic started in March 2020.
Due to a surge in infections, Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba has recommended that this city and the province’s 16 towns be placed on modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), the second most restrictive form of lockdown.
Mamba also noted a spike of cases in Baggao town in a two-week span, which rose to 61 cases as of Thursday (Jan. 14).
An aggressive mass testing campaign was carried out in Baggao due to high virus transmission.