(FILE) A senior citizen gets vaccinated against COVID-19 inside a mall in Tuguegarao City. (Photo by Villamor Visaya Jr.)

By Villamor Visaya Jr., Philippine News Agency Stringer and Philippine Daily Inquirer Correspondent

TUGUEGARAO CITY — This city was declared COVID-19 free on Saturday afternoon after health officials detected no new infections, the city health office said.

The city has a total of 18,750 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 606 deaths and 18,144 recoveries since the pandemic started in 2020.

Despite the zero record, Tuguegarao City Health Officer James Guzman urged residents to continue observing minimum health protocols as the city remains under Alert Level 1 until May 31.

Meanwhile, walk-in vaccinations and booster shots are ongoing at the city health office in order to further curb the spread of COVID-19.#