The Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center-Task Force (EOC-TF) has expressed alarm anew over the city’s COVID-19 situation following 168 recorded deaths in September alone due to the dreaded virus.

EOC-TF records showed that of the total number of fatalities, 140 were unvaccinated residents, while the remaining 28 were vaccinated persons.

City Administrator Em Legaspi-Ang, concurrent EOC executive director and COVID-19 Vaccination Council coordinator, said this number is more than double compared to 76 deaths recorded in the same month last year.

“We are averaging at 109 infections daily,” Ang continued, noting that unvaccinated patients are mostly those who developed severe COVID-19 illness.

The EOC Hospital Capacity Utilization Rate Report dated September 30, 2021 also showed that 58 unvaccinated COVID-19 positive individuals developed severe illness upon contracting the virus.

They were all brought to the hospitals for intensive treatment, Ang added.

Meanwhile, OIC-City Health Officer Dr. Edwin Miraflor Jr. said that rampant spread of COVID-19 was observed in areas with low vaccination rates.

“Despite the round-the-clock vaccination efforts of the city government, many residents are still hesitant to get vaccinated due to their vulnerability to fake news about COVID-19 vaccines, which they read on various social media platforms,” the EOC-TF said in a statement.

The EOC-TF also lamented the false belief of many residents regarding the existence of COVID – this “despite the congested COVID-19 wards in the government and private hospitals in Bacolod City.”

This false information and belief, the EOC-TF pointed out, led to poor compliance with the minimum health protocols.

As of Tuesday, Bacolod has a total of 20,672 COVID-19 cases, with 2,113 active cases; 18,063 recoveries, and 493 deaths./WDJ