BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Amid increases of COVID-19 active cases over the past two weeks, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ernell Tumimbang yesterday maintained that there is no surge of cases in Negros Occidental.
The Provincial Incident Management Team yesterday logged 14 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total cases to 145, as of August 5.
While he admitted that there is a double digit increase of cases, Tumimbang said “it is still not a surge.”
He stressed that the hospital bed utilization rate for COVID-19 in Negros Occidental remains low. At present, the active cases are mostly under home quarantine because they are vaccinated, Tumimbang said.
On the other hand, Tumimbang admitted that booster shot rates are still low in Negros Occidental, noting that the public is already confident after getting two primary COVID-19 vaccination shots.
All across the region, the Department of Health- Western Visayas logged 208 new COVID-19 cases as of yesterday, with Iloilo still having the most number cases at 951, compared to the other five provinces and two highly urbanized cities.*
