BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The risk classifications of Negros Occidental and highly-urbanized Bacolod City have been downgraded to low and moderate, respectively, by the Department of Health-Western Visayas.
At the same time, Negros Occidental was placed under Alert Level 2, while the highly-urbanized Bacolod City remains at Alert Level 4.
Areas under alert level 2 are those with low and decreasing case transmission, low healthcare utilization, but with reported cases of the Delta variant, while alert level 4 are those with huge case count and high health care utilization rates.
In a virtual presser, Dr. Bea Camille Natalaray, DOH-Western Visayas Center for Health Development Medical Officer 4, reported that Average Daily Attack Rate for Negros Occidental further went down 6.36 percent per 100,000 population, as of Oct. 17, compared to 9. 46 percent last week.
At the same time, the 2-week growth rate of COVID-19 in the province was recorded at negative 33 percent
DOH-Western Visayas logged 75.81 health care utilization rate for Bacolod City, with COVID-19 attack rate of 19.86 percent per 100,000 population.
Provincial Inter Agency Task Force action officer Rayfrando Diaz yesterday reported that occupancy of three major quarantine facilities in Negros Occidental is on the downward trend, but not the occupancy of COVID-19 designated hospitals of the province.
Diaz said that occupancy of Cadiz healing facility reduced to 41, compared to more than 150 last week, EB Magalona quarantine facility is now 68, and 54 in Silay City.
He added that the Mambukal Mountain Resort healing facility is now occupied by 36 provincial government employees, as well as their respective family members, who were tested positive for COVID-19.
While it is a good sign, however, our COVID-19 designated hospital in Cadiz City, is fully occupied with infected persons at 102 percent, Valladolid District Hospital at 92 percent and Valeriano Gatuslao Memorial District Hospital in Himamaylan City at 66.67 percent occupied by patients suffering from moderate to severe cases, Diaz said.
While it somehow indicated that many recovered from positive cases at the quarantine facilities, he stressed that vigilance should not be lowered despite many cases of recoveries in quarantine facilities.
In the past several days, COVID-19 active cases reduced from its peak of more than 4,400 to 4,069, as of October 17.
Diaz said that they are happy of its trend of slowly declining. Hopefully, the worst is over for Negrenses, he added.*
