By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental’s provincial administrator, Atty. Rayfrando Diaz, said yesterday that even though they are noticing an increase in new COVID-19 cases, the occupancy in the province’s main isolation center remains low.

Data presented by Diaz as of January 10 show that the Cadiz District Hospital quarantine facility, the province’s primary COVID-19 isolation facility, only has 12 occupants with eight confirmed COVID-19 cases and four suspected cases.

“We haven’t seen yet a spike in the hospitalized naton nga mga kautoran nga mga Negrense,” Diaz said.

He said they are hoping that they have done enough diligence by requiring negative RT-PCR and rapid antigen test results on travelers coming from Alert Level 3 areas.

The province’s molecular laboratories have also stepped up their monitoring and on the lookout for new variants so they could immediately isolate any Negrense and not cause any further local transmissions.

As to the province’s healing centers in Cadiz City, E.B. Magalona and Silay City, Diaz said the majority of the occupants are travelers who are either tested “reactive” during rapid antigen test, or those who are already tested positive for COVID-19 in confirmatory RT-PCR tests but are asymptomatic.

As of January 11, a total of 214 persons are presently confined in the province’s healing center in Silay City.

At the Cadiz City Healing Center, there are also 30 occupants, a majority of whom are authorized persons outside of residence (APORs), or those who have voluntarily placed themselves on quarantine after coming into close contact with COVID-19 positive patients.

The E.B. Magalona Healing Center, meanwhile, is empty but health workers in the facility remain on alert.

As of January 11, Negros Occidental has 416 active COVID-19 cases./DGB, WDJ