DILG frets over low productivity in COVID-19 contact tracing

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is alarmed that contact tracing in the country did not reach the target ratio of 30 identified contacts of COVID-19 case for one contact tracer.

At the Laging Handa briefing on Monday, DILG spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said the latest contact tracing ratio in the country is 1 contact tracer is to 7 identified contacts only.

“Medyo nababahala po tayo rito dahil meron na tayong karagdagang contact tracers,” he said.

(“This is somewhat alarming because we have already hired additional contact tracers.”)

For example, Malaya said the DILG hired additional 15,000 contact tracers for Metro Manila.

The total number of contact tracers that were hired to identify people who are exposed with COVID-19 cases is now 255,850.

Malaya urged local government units, which are managing the contact tracing in their areas, to improve its efforts for such operations.

He said that the DILG is still coordinating with LGUs.

On Sunday, contact tracing czar Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong urged LGUs to intensify their contact tracing efforts following the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Magalong lamented how the national contact tracing efficiency ratio has not been sustained, which he said depends much on the efforts of the LGUs. — Joviland Rita/RSJ, GMA News