By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
The Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas still classified Bacolod City and Negros Occidental as “low risk” areas for coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19.
According to the DOH data, the average daily attack rate (ADAR) in Negros Occidental is at 1.60 per 100,000 population as of August 20, which is lower compared to the 1.76 ADAR back in July 21 to August 3.
The province also remains under Alert Level 1, as COVID-related hospitalization rate remains low.
Meanwhile, Bacolod City also recorded a drop in its ADAR from 6.80 two weeks ago to 5.99 this week.
The city also remains under Alert Level 2, with healthcare utilization rate (HCUR) at moderate, although the number of case transmissions is decreasing.
But on Monday, Bacolod City has recorded two new cases of the more transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19, bringing the total Delta cases detected in the city to six.
City Administrator Em Ang, the executive director of Emergency Operations Center, said the two new Delta cases include a 6-month old boy from Barangay Bata and a 45-year-old male from Barangay Villamonte.
Ang added that both patients have already completed their isolation.
According to Health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, Alert Level 2 is defined as areas where case transmission is low and decreasing, low HCUR but with presence of the Delta variant; or case count is low but increasing; or case count is low and decreasing but HCUR is increasing.
Areas under Alert Level 1, meanwhile, are those with low and decreasing case transmission, low HCUR and no reported case of the Delta variant. For an area to be classified under this level, it must fulfill all the following conditions: “minimal” to “low” risk, with negative growth rate; COVID-19 bed utilization and ICU utilization must be less than 50 percent; and no local case of Delta variant detected.
As of August 23, Negros Occidental continues to see a drop in the number of COVID-19 cases with 645 active cases, based on the Provincial Incident Management Team data. While Bacolod City had a small fluctuation in its active case with 919 active cases after it recorded 85 new cases on Monday./DGB, WDJ
