More COVID, dengue cases in W. Visayas greet new week

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

It is not a great week for Western Visayas region, as the Department of Health-Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-WV CHD) on Monday confirmed 483 new cases of dengue and 482 more coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections.

The DOH-WV CHD’s June 26 COVID-19 situationer report (sitrep) indicated that cases of the disease rose by 192 percent across the region as of June 23, 2022.

Attack incidence remained low with only 0.43 cases per 100,000 in the entire region from June 10 to 23, thus indicating the region’s low risk status.

Iloilo City is now at high risk for COVID according to the sitrep, logging a 424 percent increase with 2.87 cases per 100,000 in the last 2-week period.

Areas under Moderate Risk include Aklan (275 percent growth), Antique (350 percent growth), Capiz (222 percent growth), and Iloilo province (265 percent growth).

Negros Occidental and Guimaras remained at Minimal Risk, with -29 percent and 0 percent growth in the number of COVID cases respectively.

Despite the rise in cases, hospitalization has remained low, with only 25.93 percent health care utilization rate across the region.

The highest is in Iloilo province (39.03 percent), followed by Negros Occidental (33.50 percent), Iloilo City (30.44 percent), Guimaras (25.86 percent), Bacolod City (16.49 percent), Capiz (16.00 percent), and Antique (6.15 percent). Aklan has a zero-percent health care utilization rate.

As to vaccination, Western Visayas has inoculated 79.05 percent of the eligible population.

Bacolod City has the highest fully vaccinated rate (136.56 percent), followed by Iloilo City (127.29 percent), Guimaras (81.55 percent), Aklan (80.61 percent), Capiz (77.68 percent), Iloilo province (74.17 percent), Antique (64.70 percent), and Negros Occidental (64.41 percent).

For the A2 population, a key demographic targeted by the national and local governments across the country, the region has 76.52 percent accomplishment rate.

Bacolod City also tops this list (153.41 percent), followed by Guimaras (85.43 percent), Capiz (85.24 percent), Aklan (83.26 percent), Iloilo City (78.51 percent), Iloilo province (75.02 percent), Negros Occidental (59.02 percent), and Antique (58.28 percent).

As to booster shots, only 752,481 persons have received booster shots, or 11.71 percent of the eligible population for vaccination.

DENGUE

Western Visayas now has 3,653 dengue cases as of June 18, after 483 cases were added to the log, including delayed reports and newly-validated cases.

This is 298 percent higher than the number of cases in the same period in 2021 (918). Most of these cases is children aged 1 to 10 years old (38 percent).

Antique logged the most number of new cases (187), followed by Negros Occidental (140), Iloilo province (84), Capiz (33), Bacolod City (22), Aklan (12), Guimaras (4), and Iloilo City (1).

Negros Occidental so far has had the greatest number of cases this year (1,368), followed by Antique (983), Iloilo province (574), Bacolod City (238), Capiz (225), Aklan (131), Iloilo City (97), and Guimaras (37).

Dengue has claimed 24 lives this year, with 1 new fatality from Negros Occidental, which now has 7 deaths on record, the most in 2022.

Iloilo province follows (6 deaths), then by Antique and Bacolod City (4 deaths each), Aklan (2 deaths), and Iloilo City (1 death).

Capiz and Guimaras have yet to record dengue-related deaths.