COVID-19 cases rise in Negros Occ, Bacolod as rest of W. Visayas eases

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

New coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and hospitalizations continue to ease down in Western Visayas except for Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, according to the latest data from the Department of Health-Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-WV CHD).

DOH-WV CHD figures as of Oct. 3, 2021 showed that 10,243 new COVID-19 cases logged in the region from Sept. 17 to 30, against 12,460 cases between Sept. 3 and 16.

This resulted in a ‘Low’ 2-Week Growth Rate (2WGR) of –18 percent and a ‘High’ Average Daily Attack Rate (ADAR) of 9.26.

The 2WGR is the percentage rate of how much the number of cases has grown, while the ADAR refers to the average number of new cases logged per 100,000 people in an area. Both are measured over a 14-day period.

Only Negros Occidental and Bacolod City were at High Risk for COVID following spikes in their respective 2WGR and ADAR.

Negros Occidental, which logged 3,282 new cases from Sept. 17 to 30, had a 2WGR of 31 percent and an ADAR of 9.05.

Bacolod City logged 1,740 new cases in the same period, with a 2WGR of 15 percent and an ADAR of 21.32.

They are also the only areas with a Health Care Utilization Rate (HCUR) in the red – 77.81 percent for Bacolod City and 74.87 percent for Negros Occidental.

The HCUR refers to the percentage rate of COVID-dedicated beds and mechanical ventilators used. Region 6 as a whole is considered to have a low HCUR at 58.20 percent.

REST OF REGION

The rest of the region is seeing a downtrend in COVID cases, with Iloilo City, Iloilo province, and Guimaras falling to moderate risk, while Antique, Aklan, and Capiz continue to be at low risk.

Capiz has the lowest 2WGR (–18 percent), followed by Guimaras (–21 percent), Iloilo City (–34 percent), Iloilo province and Antique (–44 percent each), and Aklan (–54 percent).

Among the low-risk areas, Iloilo City has the highest ADAR (21.31), followed by Guimaras (14.74), Iloilo province (8.25), Capiz (5.85), Antique (2.81), and Aklan (1.86).

Hospitalizations in these areas also went down, with Iloilo City having a moderate lead (65.54 percent), followed by Guimaras (60.66 percent), Capiz (60.00 percent), Iloilo province (56.11 percent), Antique (26.32 percent), and Aklan (5.65 percent).