THE Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) has seen a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks, the Department of Health – Cordillera (DOH-CAR) revealed.
According to Dr. Amelita Pangilinan, DOH-CAR assistant director and spokesperson, there were 31 active COVID-19 cases recorded in the current week across the region, 24 of which were from Baguio City.
At the start of the month, there were only 11 active cases, she said.
Pangilinan touted the high vaccination rates in most of the Cordilleran provinces as reason to not be excessively alarmed by the uptick in cases.
While Baguio City still has the highest overall vaccination rate per population at 109 percent of its eligible population vaccinated or some 333,895 individuals, Abra is currently leading the child vaccination rates, with 66 percent of its eligible 5 to 11 year-old population vaccinated, amounting to some 21,873 children, compared to Baguio’s 15,225 or 32 percent of the target.
However, the provinces of Benguet and Ifugao remain below the herd immunity threshold of 70 percent vaccine coverage.
Benguet still needs to give first doses to 131,254 residents as some 245,394, or 62.18 percent of the 394,649 target have completed their vaccination, while Ifugao province needs another 72,645 vaccinated as only 92,959, or 54 percent of the target 172,134 have completed their vaccinations.
