By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Negros Occidental provincial administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz said the current increase in the number of COVID-19 cases is not alarming but he advised Negrenses to still be cautious.
Diaz said residents should not be alarmed as Negros Occidental has been placed under COVID-19 Alert Level 2 since June of last year.
He added the provincial government has confirmed that 11 COVID-19 patients are currently admitted to the Cadiz District Hospital, the province’s primary COVID facility.
He has again appealed to those who still refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine to avail of the shot.
Diaz also encouraged vaccinated individuals to get the second booster shot for additional protection.
The provincial administrator said most of the severe cases reported to them are unvaccinated.
Latest data from the local Inter-Agency Task Force showed yesterday that 12 of the 13 fatalities due to Covid-19 recorded from January to April of this year were unvaccinated.
Four deaths were recorded in January, of which, only one had been vaccinated, a 73-year-old male; while three deaths related to the viral disease were logged in February, and six in April.
The youngest among the fatalities was a seven-year-old boy, while the oldest were two 83-year-olds, data showed.
As of Thursday, April 27, the Provincial Incident Management Team reported 81 active COVID-19 cases, 14 of which are new cases.
There are currently no recorded new recoveries or fatalities.
In January, Bacolod logged 53 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The city also recorded 28 cases in February, 44 in March and 116 in April.
Total COVID-19 deaths in Negros Occidental stood at 2,074.
The total confirmed cases since the pandemic began in 2020 are now at 44,873, with recovered cases at 42,717.
Meanwhile, data from the Department of Health in Western Visayas showed Bacolod has a 161.13 percent fully-vaccinated population, and 154.24 percent fully-vaccinated A2, or senior citizen population.
Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said there is a need to increase awareness among unvaccinated city residents.
“For those who are unvaccinated, the Covid-19 vaccination is still available at the City Health Office,” Benitez said.
Meanwhile, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head, Dr. Laarni Pornan said they will continue to monitor all 61 city barangays for Covid-19 cases.
“Many people now go out for face-to-face activities and also no longer wear face masks,” Pornan said.
“The hot weather also causes people to catch the flu,” she added./With a report from PNA / DGB, WDJ