IN an effort to have more residents vaccinated, the City Health Services Office (CHSO) now says that most of those who died due to COVID-19 complications were not vaccinated.
Dr. Rowena Galpo, CHSO officer, said that this is based on the baseline data of recent COVID-19 deaths in the city.
These data are currently being analyzed by the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) of the CHSO and the Management Information Technology Division (MITD) of the Office of the City Mayor to identify who among the fatalities were not vaccinated.
A similar analysis will also be conducted among the recent positive cases to determine who among them were not vaccinated.
Results will be significant in establishing the effect of vaccination in deterring transmission and deaths.
Galpo said the city’s case fatality rate as of July 5 was 2.02 percent with seven deaths added in the past week for a total of 288 deaths out of 14,274 cases.
Last May 10, the city recorded its highest fatality rate at 2.09 percent.
But the number of severe cases of COVID-19 in the city had dropped and most of those with acute symptoms were unvaccinated individuals.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said 90 percent of the city’s present severe cases are unvaccinated individuals belonging to the vulnerable sectors, including senior citizens.
“These sectors had been given the chance to first receive the vaccines but they refused the opportunity. Nevertheless, we will not tire from convincing them,” he said.
He said the city will continue its campaign to locate and convince individuals reluctant to get vaccinated, especially senior citizens who are most vulnerable.
The mayor said Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center Medical Chief Dr. Ricardo Ruñez has affirmed that BGHMC’s health care utilization rate for COVID-19 has eased at the moment with the number of cases at a manageable level.
“But we know that the situation is very fluid as patients from other provinces in the Cordillera and even from other regions continue to flock to Baguio for treatment because of our good health system and facilities,” he said. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
