Covid cases in NegOcc up but not alarming – PHO

By Dolly Yasa

Bacolod City – Negros Occidental Provincial Health Officer Dr. Girlie Pinongan on Wednesday confirmed that the number of Covid cases in the province has increased although “it is not alarming.”

“Our Covid cases has gone up, kon lantawon mo lang daw nagdamo but it is not alarming,” Pinongan told reporters here.

She said that most patients manifested mild symptoms.

Pinongan also said that those admitted to hospitals like in Cadiz District Hospital presented RT-PCR test results that confirmed that they are Covid positive.

She said there are also those who have other symptoms of a different illness but when swabbed, they were also positive.

But Pinongan said most cases if not severe are relegated to home care.

She said there are 10 Covid-related deaths in the province, with most of them unvaccinated and have co-morbidities.

“Latest count of new Covid cases in the province is 24,” Pinongan said.

While the wearing of face masks is still voluntary, Pinongan said they are encouraging the public to do so, especially in public transportation and public places.

Earlier, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Benitez appealed to the public to wear face masks amid the rise in Covid-19 cases nationwide.

“I would like to appeal to the Negrenses to wear face masks, Negros Occidental is among the 20-plus provinces that have seen Covid-19 cases rise,” Lacson said.

He said that based on the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF), Negros Occidental is under Alert Level 2.

“It means 50 percent capacity indoors and if outdoor 70 percent capacity,” the governor said.

He added though that “Now as much as possible we should avoid restrictions, so I am really recommending using face masks para lang we can protect ourselves.”

Lacson pointed out that if the case trend continues to go up, then maybe an executive order is needed. “In the meantime, I am asking the Negrenses to, on their own, agree to wearing face masks.”