REGION 6 SLIDES TO MINIMAL RISK: DOH-6 touts COVID protocols, vaccination

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

The Department of Health-Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-WV CHD) on Monday cited coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response protocols as reason for the entire Western Visayas sliding to Minimal Risk level.

In an online press briefing, DOH-WV CHD spokesperson Dr. Bea Camille Natalaray mentioned several protocols implemented by national government agencies and local government units (LGUs).

These include “correct and consistent practice” of minimum public health standards, quarantine classifications which impeded mobility, LGU’s implementation of the Prevention-Detection-Isolation-Treatment-Reintegration (PDITR) strategies, and COVID vaccination.

But Natalaray also reiterated what they have been saying amid the downtrend in COVID cases – do not be complacent.

“We have many factors, but we encourage the community not to be too confident still, and to follow our minimum public health standards, and continue to encourage (COVID) vaccination to keep minimizing our transmission and hospitalization rates,” Natalaray said.

DOH-WV CHD data as of Dec. 12 indicated that from Nov. 26 to Dec. 9, only 256 new cases were confirmed in the region.

The figure indicated a 71 percent drop from 890 cases confirmed in the previous 2-week period of Nov. 12 to 25.

All areas of the region have also shown below-zero levels of new cases daily per 100,000 population from Nov. 26 to Dec. 9, with the region’s consolidated total at 0.23 cases every day per 100,000 people.

Capiz and Bacolod City posted the biggest percentage drop within the most recent period (-77 percent each), followed by Iloilo City (-72 percent), Iloilo province (-71 percent), Negros Occidental (-69 percent), Guimaras (-57 percent), and Aklan and Antique (-53 percent each).

Aklan has the lowest number of daily new cases per 100,000 in the recent 2-week period (0.02), followed by Antique (0.08), Capiz (0.12), Iloilo province (0.16), Iloilo City (0.29), Negros Occidental (0.30), Guimaras (0.39), and Bacolod City (0.59).

Hospitalizations also remained low in the region (24.59 percent), with Aklan maintaining the lowest as of Dec. 12 (1.47 percent), followed by Antique (7.01 percent), Bacolod City (12.46 percent), Capiz (15 percent), Guimaras (25.86 percent), Negros Occidental (29.54 percent), Iloilo province (33.18 percent), and Iloilo City (35.50 percent).

As to the vaccination rate, Iloilo City has the highest rate of fully vaccinated individuals based on herd immunity targets (121.03 percent), followed by Bacolod City (76.86 percent), Aklan (54.39 percent), Guimaras (48.94 percent), Capiz (41.61 percent), Iloilo province (40.93 percent), Antique (35.57 percent), and Negros Occidental (29.31 percent).

The DOH-WV CHD is also aiming to inoculate 698,430 persons for the Bayanihan Bakunahan 2 from Dec 15 to 17, or 229,810 daily in three days.