W. VISAYAS UNDER ‘MODERATE-RISK’: COVID-19 cases breach 100-mark

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

The total coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Western Visayas breached the century mark with the addition of two new cases Thursday.

In an advisory issued, the Department of Health-Center for Health Development Western Visayas (DOH-CHD 6) said the new cases are in Iloilo province and Bacolod City.

The new patient in Iloilo is a 23-year-old male from the town of Banate (WV Patient No. 100), Dr. Ma. Sophia Pulmones, chief of the Local Health Support Division of DOH-CHD 6, said.

Pulmones said the patient had exposure to a confirmed case, WV Patient No. 59 who is a 31-year-old male from Zarraga, Iloilo and personnel of the Bureau of Jail and Management (BJMP) regional office.

“The patient is currently asymptomatic and is under facility quarantine,” she said in an online press briefing.

Meanwhile, a 28-year-old repatriated Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Bacolod City is the 101^st COVID-19 case in the region. He is currently under facility quarantine.

As of Thursday, Western Visayas has 101 COVID-19 cases with 54 recoveries and 10 deaths.

The cases include 30 OFW repatriates; 19 from Iloilo province; 16 from Iloilo City; 14 from Antique; nine from Bacolod City; six from Aklan; five from Capiz; and two from Negros Occidental.

In terms of case classification, 60 percent, or 61 cases, are asymptomatic close contacts; 25 (25 percent) are considered severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and 15 (15 percent) are mild cases or influenza-like illnesses (ILI).

 

MODERATE-RISK

The health department said all areas in Western Visayas are now classified as moderate-risk for COVID-19 based on community quarantine and decision tool of the National Inter-Agency Task Force.

Pulmones said the classification is based on the region’s case doubling time and critical care utilization rate that is classified as moderate-risk for Covid-19.

The doubling time or the duration in days for cases or deaths to double, measures the speed of transmission.

 

Lower doubling numbers indicate faster outbreaks, while higher numbers point to slower outbreaks.

For Western Visayas, Pulmones said the case doubling time is 8.23 days, indicating that the number of COVID-19 cases in the region doubles between 7 and 30 days.

“Kon may 101 cases, it will take 8.23 days nga madoble ang kaso sang region. It is between 7 to 30 days because the case doubling time is 8.23,” she said.

Another health parameter used is the critical care utilization rate which represents the health system capacity such as the number of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds, isolation rooms, isolation room beds, ward beds, and mechanical ventilators dedicated to severe COVID-19 patients.

Pulmones said the critical care utilization rate in the region is at 15.21 percent which means that the region is in the safe zone.

An area is in the safe zone if the critical care utilization rate is below 30 percent while warning zone is between 30-70 percent.

If the critical care utilization rate is more than 70 percent, the area is in the danger zone.

Based on the case doubling time and its critical utilization rate, all provinces and highly urbanized cities (HUCs) in Western Visayas are on the “initiation” stage of the pandemic.

According to Pulmones, this means that the region has moderate-risk with localized transmission.

“Kon amo na ang aton status, the entire region is on the initiation stage.  There is localized transmission and moderate-risk aton region,” she said.

Based on the quarantine tool, the needed strategy for moderate-risk areas is to be placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), Pulmones said.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque clarified on Thursday that all low-risk areas in the country including Western Visayas will be placed on GCQ by May 16, instead of Modified GCQ (MGCQ).

Pulmones said specific actions recommended for LGUs under moderate risk include continue contact tracing; continue testing, isolating, and treating all confirmed Covid-19 cases; improve surveillance and response for close spaces; and invest on health system capacity.

“Padayon contact tracing, kon makita nga positive i-isolate. Continue test, isolate, and treat all confirmed Covid-19 cases. I-enhance and improve ang surveillance and response for closed spaces like jails and nursing homes. They should also invest on health system capacity particularly on human resources to do epidemiology, surveillance and contact tracing,” she said.