05 November 2021 – October 2021 is Baguio City’s new deadliest month of the pandemic after posting the highest monthly Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) death toll with 171 deaths last month at the height of the Delta variant contagion.
The city’s previous highest monthly total was 136 deaths posted last September also this year.
City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo said the October figure comprised 25.7 percent of the city’s total mortality of 665 as of Nov. 1.
The number included 17 fatalities that occurred in previous months but reported only last month as the city continued to validate and update its records.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the death rate had considerably slowed down in the past week.
Based on the data from the UP Baguio Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and the Baguio City Health Services Office, most of those who died were senior citizens and persons with comorbidities.
Majority were unvaccinated while the small number who died even with full vaccine coverage belonged to the vulnerable group who were either senior citizens or persons with underlying medical conditions.
The city’s total mortality record per month follows:
2020
March – 1; April – 0; May – 0; June – 1; July – 1; August – 6; September – 2; October – 16; November – 13; December – 26
2021
January – 27; February – 12; March – 23; April – 85; May – 53; June – 17; July – 26; August – 37; September – 136; October – 171.
Majority of 88.46 percent of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients who died last month were either unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated.
Data from the Baguio City Health Services Office showed that of the 156 total deaths from Oct. 3-31, 138 were either unvaccinated numbering 127, partially vaccinated (11) or not eligible (2).
Eighteen or 11.53 percent died even with full vaccine coverage and all of them belonged to the vulnerable group who were either senior citizens or persons with underlying medical conditions.
The city government under the leadership of Mayor Benjamin Magalong is aggressively pursuing the vaccination program to attain herd immunity and move on to the new normal phase of the pandemic.
As of Nov. 4, the city has posted 88.6 percent vaccination accomplishment in adult individuals given at least one dose and 70.47 percent in fully vaccinated ones.
It also rolled out the pediatric leg last Oct. 29 targeting 50,000 youths aged 12-17 years.
As of said date, the city has administered first doses to a total of 6,626 minors.
Magalong said the city targets to immunize 95 percent of the eligible population (281,000 adults and 50,000 minors) to establish herd immunity.** Aileen P. Refuerzo
