BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson anticipates record breaking COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental, noting that new active cases are hitting triple digits on a daily basis.
As of Sept. 15, the Provincial Incident Management Team logged 2,201 COVID-19 active cases in Negros Occidental, compared to more than 600 three weeks ago.
Lacson said more than 200 active cases are being reported daily.
Cases may go higher than the highest recorded in March this year, the governor said.
Obviously, the Delta variant is now hitting the province, although it is still subject to confirmation from the Department of Health, Lacson said.
Several government and private hospitals in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental have already reached maximum capacity for allocated beds for patients.
The Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital has issued an advisory temporarily suspending admission for both COVID-19 and non-COVID cases, until further notice, as the emergency room and hospital wards have reached their maximum capacity on the allocated beds.
Lacson said they have designated the 50-bed capacity Valeriano Gatuslao Memorial District Hospital in Himamaylan City as an additional COVID-19 facility, on top of the Cadiz and Valladolid District Hospitals.
The provincial government of Negros Occidental is also looking forward to the completion of an annex building of the Cadiz District Hospital, where it can accommodate 70 more hospital beds.
“What is happening in Manila is already happening in the province where our hospitals have reached full capacity. This is not a joke anymore, we have to protect ourselves,” Lacson stressed.
He reiterated his reminders to Negrenses not to hesitate in getting COVID-19 vaccinations. The Department of Health recently transported more than 60,000 doses of the Sinovac and Pfizer vaccines to the province.*
