Lawyer Julius Ceasar Entise, head of the Mandaue City Contact Tracing Team, said those who contracted the virus have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines.
All 16 individuals, he said, underwent swab tests as part of the requirements for travel or medical procedures.
Entise said one person was supposed to undergo surgery, but the procedure was postponed after he contracted the virus.
The patient, who was already completely vaccinated, had no symptoms.
While a vaccine doesn’t spare people from getting the virus, it prevents severe COVID-19 and reduces the risk of death.
Entise appealed to the public, including vaccinated individuals, not to be complacent and to continue following health protocols, such as wearing face masks and face shields, as well as observing physical distancing.
“The other day, one of those who were already vaccinated was so disappointed because he knows that he had been fully vaccinated, yet tested positive for COVID-19,” he said.
“It really takes a lot of explaining for people to understand,” he added.
As of Wednesday, Mandaue has vaccinated about 50,000 individuals.
Entise said the city’s contact tracers would now help educate residents about the vaccines to encourage more people to have themselves inoculated.
“People are so anxious about things, anxious about almost anything related to COVID. Anxiety is there because of a lack of knowledge. There is anxiety because of the fear of the unknown,” he said.
“COVID-19 is evolving. We have to also evolve together with COVID-19 to get ahead of it all the time. That vaccination is already here. Now it is part of the job of the contact tracers to teach and convince people to get vaccinated,” he added.
LZB