The city government of Zamboanga through the City Health Office has already deployed around 400 contact tracers to the different barangays, placing the contact tracing ratio at 1:27.

Of the total number of contact tracers, 300 were hired by the city government and 100 by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). The contact tracing ratio translates to 27 close contact persons per 1 contact tracer.

“All of them are highly performing,” the mayor said, adding that the CHO will have to make some projections on the need of additional contact tracers, taking into consideration the continuing increase of Covid-19 cases.

On testing, the CHO reported around 300 tests a day, while treatment was coping with the number of cases but could have some problems as cases kept increasing at 216 active cases as of yesterday.

Vaccination, on the other hand, continues among prioritized sectors—201 among health personnel in the hospitals and health centers, 4,100 from LGU-owned health facilities.

Total number of A1 vaccinated was 6,873 (except DOH retained hospitals with 3,226 remaining A1 unvaccinated.

The following are barangays with most number of active Covid-19 cases: Talisayan- 27, Calarian- 7, Baliwasan- 6, Tumaga- 5, Zone 4- 5, San Jose Gusu- 4, San Roque- 4, Divisoria- 3, Rio Hondo- 3, and Sinunuc- 3.

As this developed, the city government of Zamboanga through the CDRRMO will seek approval and guidelines from the Department of Health and the National IATF to allow saliva swabbing in lieu of RT-PCR test as a requirement to travel to the city.

“We will allow and consider saliva swab testing subject to the approval of and guidelines from DOH,” Climaco said, pending such approval “the city still requires negative RT-PCR as a requirement to enter the city of Zamboanga” as such is the same travel requirement by other LGUs in the country.-(Vic Larato)