DOH tags 2 Benguet towns ‘critical epidemic-risk’ areas | Inquirer News

DOH tags 2 Benguet towns ‘critical epidemic-risk’ areas

/ 05:04 AM October 31, 2020

BAGUIO CITY—The mining towns of Itogon and Tuba in Benguet province have been classified as “critical epidemic-risk” areas due to the rapid rise of coronavirus infections there since Oct. 22.

Immediate contact tracing was launched at a mine company’s bunkhouses last week when some employees tested positive for the virus, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

Itogon, host to mines of Benguet Corp. and Itogon-Suyoc Mining Inc., reflected a 600-percent infection “growth change” from 21 patients on Oct. 10 to 147 on Oct. 24, said Albert Mogol, chair of the Cordillera disaster risk reduction and management council (CDRRMC).

Article continues after this advertisement

The Padcal operations of gold producer Philex Mining Corp. in Itogon and Tuba reflected a 700-percent increase from seven patients on Oct. 10 to 56 on Oct. 24, said Mogol, who is also regional director of the Office of Civil Defense.

FEATURED STORIES

The spread of the disease was traced to bunkhouses where a clustering of cases had occurred, said the CDRRMC.

The council had earlier activated and deployed regional incident management teams to the towns to help local governments contain the virus.

Article continues after this advertisement

The Benguet health office recorded a fatality in Itogon but did not say if the patient was a mine worker.

Article continues after this advertisement

So far, the province has listed 13 deaths from the coronavirus.

Article continues after this advertisement

1,000 mark breached

Another mining town, Mankayan, had been classified as a “high epidemic-risk” area when cases there reached 11 on Oct. 24. But there were no indications that these were mine-related.

The outbreak caused Benguet’s total number of infections to breach the 1,000 mark with 1,026 from March to Oct. 26, including 528 patients being treated in the province’s hospitals.

Article continues after this advertisement

The transmissions at mining communities resulted in a record single-day infection of 93 cases in Benguet on Oct. 22, including 74 in Itogon. —REPORTS FROM KIMBERLIE QUITASOL AND VINCENT CABREZA

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link.

TAGS: Benguet, COVID-19, Itogon, Tuba

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.