Contact Tracing In The Philippines' Remote Regions

ARINGAY, PHILIPPINES - SEPTEMBER 06: (NO AUDIO) Healthcare workers wearing hazmat suits conduct swab tests on residents exposed to COVID-19 patients on September 6, 2021 in the mountainous village of Manga in Aringay town, La Union province, Philippines. Healthcare workers from the Aringay COVID-19 Diagnostic Team often have to go on long walks to reach remote villages in their town to conduct contact tracing on suspected COVID-19 patients. Due to a lack of supply of protective equipment from the country's health department, they are forced to wear their hazmat suits as they cross rivers and mountains under the scorching sun or intense rain to avoid wastage. The country is struggling to cope with a huge wave of cases fueled by the more infectious Delta variant, recording more than 2 million cases and more than 34,000 deaths with every one in four people tested turning out positive for the coronavirus. (Footage by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)