WV health facilities ready for possible COVID surge – DOH

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Health care facilities in Western Visayas are ready if cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rise once more, according to the Department of Health-Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-WV CHD) on Monday.

DOH-WV CHD spokesperson Dr. Marie Jocelyn Te said in an online press briefing that while the region’s Health Care Utilization Rate (HCUR) is low, hospitals across the region are ready if COVID infections surge again.

Aside from COVID, Te said hospitals are also ready for any holiday-related admissions, including firecracker-related injuries during the New Year’s Eve revelry.

“[Our hospitals] are aware of the situation. Our [HCUR] is low, but they [hospitals] are not being complacent. They are still there, preparing our hospital beds and workers, but we still encourage everyone to get vaccinated. Our hospitals are prepared and are not stopping taking additional logistics and equipment,” Te said.

The region currently has a Low Risk HCUR at 25.61 percent.

Iloilo City has the highest utilization rate (40.77 percent), followed by Iloilo province (30.51 percent), Negros Occidental (27.13 percent), Guimaras (22.41 percent), Capiz (21.90 percent), Bacolod City (18.91 percent), Antique (8.28 percent), and Aklan (1.47 percent).

COVID STATS

The downtrend in COVID-19 cases in Western Visayas continues, with its risk level sliding to Minimal Risk, according to DOH-WV CHD data as of Dec. 5.

Of the 6 provinces and 2 highly urbanized cities, only Guimaras and Bacolod City remain under the Low Risk column, while the rest of the region (Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo province, Negros Occidental, and Iloilo City) is at Minimal Risk.

DOH data indicated a 47 percent decrease in new COVID-19 cases between Nov. 19 to Dec. 2 (620) and Nov. 5 to 18 (1,171). The daily average of new cases per 100,000 population also decreased from 1.06 to 0.56.

Only Guimaras posted a 17 percent increase in cases in the Nov. 19 to Dec. 2 period.

For other areas, Aklan saw the biggest decrease (–92 percent), followed by Antique (–79 percent), Capiz (–66 percent), Negros Occidental (–46 percent), Iloilo City (–45 percent), Iloilo province (–44 percent), and Negros Occidental (–43 percent).

Unlike the rate of growth, all areas saw declines in the average new cases per 100,000 population.

Aklan has the lowest (0.01), followed by Antique (0.09), Capiz (0.28), Iloilo province (0.39), Negros Occidental (0.70), Iloilo City (0.78), Guimaras (0.81), and Bacolod City (1.74).