‘Don’t be complacent even if Capiz is COVID-19 free’

By Felipe V. Celino

ROXAS CITY, Capiz – The Capiz Provincial Health Office (PHO) cautioned the public against complacency even if the province has no more active cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

PHO chief Dr. Ramon Alex Nolasco said COVID-19 is an emerging and reemerging infectious disease the reason why the public should always be careful.

Earlier, the provincial government reported that Capiz is now COVID-free.

In his official statement dated January 25, 2023, Governor Fredenil “Oto” Castro said, “the provincial government is honored to inform our fellow Capiznons that as of Jan. 25, 2023, we have recorded zero active confirmed COVID-19 cases in Capiz and currently ranked lowest among the provinces and highly urbanized cities in Western Visayas”.

“This remarkable outcome was achieved with proactive and collaborative efforts of our Local Government Units (LGUs), Local Health Offices, hospitals and other health facilities, partners and stakeholders. This only manifests that everything is possible and we can win the fight against this deadly virus with everyone’s support and cooperation,” the statement added.

“Furthermore, to sustain this momentum, we continuously emphasize to our citizenry the utmost importance and indispensable benefits of immunization with primary and secondary series and booster doses, together with the strict adherence to minimum public health standards in your respective localities.”

From March 2020 to January 25, 2023, the province recorded 13,623 COVID-19 cases with 576 deaths.