Upsurge in COVID cases in NegOcc continues

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Provincial Inter Agency Task Force action officer Rayfrando Diaz said cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 continue to go up in Negros Occidental.

Diaz said 166 deaths were logged in the past three weeks of September.

“Compared to previous months this is the worst death rate,” he added.

Majority of those who died have serious medical conditions, making them vulnerable upon arrival in medical facilities.

Diaz assured that “we did our best given what we have to manage, help them on how to get over their critical period, until they stabilize. Unfortunately, they did not make it.”

There is now a great demand for hospital beds, as both Cadiz and Valladolid District Hospitals have reached their full capacity.

The provincial government of Negros Occidental designated the 51-bed Valeriano Gatuslao Memorial District Hospital in Himamaylan City as a COVID-19 hospital, on top of the Cadiz and Valladolid District Hospitals.

Diaz said that they are targeting to operationalize the annex building of Cadiz District Hospital by the second week of October, which could accommodate 70 beds, to cater to more COVID-19 patients.

The COVID-19 medical facility in Himamaylan City, which has now nine infected patients, will serve southern Negros local government units.

Three quarantine facilities in EB Magalona, Silay and Cadiz, which earlier were being planned to be converted into field hospitals, will now be used for COVID-19 patients who are recovering from the infection to accommodate more patients in critical conditions at the hospitals.

Diaz also noted an increase in number of quarantine occupants in EB Magalona, Silay and Cadiz isolation facilities.

The province also increased its testing rate, which aims to overtake the infection rate.

“With faster testing and isolation of infected individuals, we may able to stop the further spread of the virus,” Diaz said.

The provincial government also set up a 20 by 18-foot area with flooring at the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City to serve as a temporary care center for patients waiting to be swabbed before admission to the hospital.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ernell Tumimbang reported that the PHO recorded 3,514 COVID-19 active cases for the month in the province.