More than 160 contact tracers underwent training last Sept. 8 to enhance their skills and capacity amid the increasing number of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the city.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong emphasized the need for contact tracers to step up and respond to the call for more efficient and effective contact tracing efforts to help save lives amid the raging pandemic.

The participants were the 70 newly hired and rehired contact tracers from the Dept. of Interior and Local Government and augmentation personnel from the Baguio City Police Office, Philippine Military Academy and partner business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.

The training consisted of three modules facilitated by members of the city’s lead contact tracing teams.

Module 1 facilitated by City Epidemiologist Dr. Donna Panes of the City Health Services Office centered on the rudiments of the COVID-19 while module 2 dealt on the retooled contact tracing system as discussed by data analyst Mischelle Junio.

Module 3 tackled the contact tracing processes as follows: legal aspects of contact tracing by City Mayor’s Office Executive Asst. IV Althea Alberto; Case Investigation Form by Medical Technologist II Ruby Magsino of the CHSO; the contact tracing process flow; EndCov Tracker and Analytical Tools by data analysts Jefferson Damoslog  and Shanry Roberts; isolation process by Dr. Alice Torres of CHSO and decontamination and management of the dead. – Aileen P. Refuerzo