Thursday, July 23, 2020

Gov’t eyes hiring of 50,000 more contact tracers

Published July 22, 2020, 4:44 PM

News from mb.com.ph

Gov’t eyes hiring of 50,000 more contact tracers Published July 22, 2020, 4:44 PM by Aaron Recuenco The national government is planning to hire 50,000 more contact tracers in a bid to widen the scope of tracking down people infected by COVID-19 as the number of cases continue to rise. Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, vice chairman of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, said the additional contact tracers would be hired as soon as the Bayanihan 2 bill which is currently pending before the Congress is enacted into law. “This is part of our effort to continue strengthening all our contact tracing efforts to address the COVID-19 problem,” said Año. Currently, the government has a total of 65,675 contact tracers divided into 4,818 teams. They were deployed in various parts of the country, especially in areas with high COVID-19 cases. Año disclosed that hiring of more contact tracers is ongoing, mostly in the National Capital Region, which is considered as the epicenter of coronavirus infection, and Cebu, where COVID-19 cases suddenly increased in the past weeks. Contact tracers are essential in the identification, isolation, and treatment of COVID-19 patients, as the strategy tends to contain the spread of the coronavirus. President Duterte has appointed retired police general now Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong as contact tracing czar following the latter’s good example in shielding Baguio City from COVID-19 infections. In order to further boost the government’s capability for contact tracing, Año has instructed the barangay officials to create contact tracing teams (CTT). “As more communities are exposed to coronavirus transmissions, it is imperative to have contact tracers coming from the same community due to their familiarity and kinship with the residents of the barangay,” said Año. “We are in for the long haul. Until a vaccine is developed, we need to fight the virus at the community level. CTTs in barangays will be the first responders to ensure that all residents, especially the ones who were infected together with their immediate families, are monitored and accounted for,” he added.
(JANSEN ROMERO / MANILA BULLETIN)
The national government is planning to hire 50,000 more contact tracers in a bid to widen the scope of tracking down people infected by COVID-19 as the number of cases continue to rise.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, vice chairman of the National Task Force Against COVID-19, said the additional contact tracers would be hired as soon as the Bayanihan 2 bill which is currently pending before the Congress is enacted into law.

“This is part of our effort to continue strengthening all our contact tracing efforts to address the COVID-19 problem,” said Año.

Currently, the government has a total of 65,675 contact tracers divided into 4,818 teams. They were deployed in various parts of the country, especially in areas with high COVID-19 cases.

Año disclosed that hiring of more contact tracers is ongoing, mostly in the National Capital Region, which is considered as the epicenter of coronavirus infection, and Cebu, where COVID-19 cases suddenly increased in the past weeks.

Contact tracers are essential in the identification, isolation, and treatment of COVID-19 patients, as the strategy tends to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

President Duterte has appointed retired police general now Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong as contact tracing czar following the latter’s good example in shielding Baguio City from COVID-19 infections.

In order to further boost the government’s capability for contact tracing, Año has instructed the barangay officials to create  contact tracing teams (CTT).

“As more communities are exposed to coronavirus transmissions, it is imperative to have contact tracers coming from the same community due to their familiarity and kinship with the residents of the barangay,” said Año.

“We are in for the long haul. Until a vaccine is developed, we need to fight the virus at the community level. CTTs in barangays will be the first responders to ensure that all residents, especially the ones who were infected together with their immediate families, are monitored and accounted for,” he added.
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