Apayao Province - The National Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease (NTF - EID) will test 7,000 individuals in a five -day Aggressive Community Testing (ACT) in selected barangays considered 'high risk areas′ in the seven towns of Apayao due to the increasing cases of COVID-19.

The five-day free swab testing started on August 24 thru the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) will help contain the rapid spread of the dreaded COVID-19 in the province.

In the first day of ACT in the town of Flora and Sta. Marcela, 1,647 individuals were tested.

Apayao Governor Eleanor Bulut-Begtang requested for the ACT following the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the past months and the detection of the more contagious Delta variant in the province.

The province which is now under high epidemic risk level has been recording surge of COVID-19 cases and reaching to as high as 126 confirmed cases in a single day last Aug. 12.

The Philippine Genome Center reported three Delta variant and more than 20 cases of other COVID-19 variants were also detected in the province as of August 15, 2021

As of August 24, 2021, based on the report of Department of Health Cordillera, the province recorded a total of 3,971 COVID-19 cases with 3,174 recoveries, 781 active cases and 16 deaths.

Meanwhile, Governor Begtang issued Executive Order No. 36, Series of 2021, placing the Municipality of Luna under Enhanced Community Quarantine from August 25 to September 08, 2021 in line with efforts to curb the rising number of COVID19 infection in the area.

Begtang fully supports the testing centers and thanked the health workers and frontliners who are doing the mass testing.
(Joseph Manzano, RPN DZBS Baguio OIC, photo courtesy by Jerzon Sebastian)