ILOILO City – Twenty municipalities in this province have recorded indigenous or local cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), data from the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 as of July 23 showed.
These are the towns grouped by district:
* 1st District – Guimbal; Igbaras; Oton; San Joaquin; Miag-ao
* 2nd District – Pavia; Alimodian; Zarraga; Sta. Barbara; New Lucena
* 3rd District – Lambunao; Pototan; Badiangan; Bingawan
* 4th District – Dumangas; Barotac Nuevo; Banate; Anilao; Dueñas
*5th District – Batad
According Dr. Sophia Pulmones, head of the Local Health Support Division of the DOH- 6, a COVID-19 case is indigenous or local if the patient has no history of travel to areas with COVID cases, not an overseas worker and not a locally stranded individual.
The patient contracted the disease through local transmission /close contact with someone infected with the disease, she added.
The July 23 data of DOH-6 also bared that Iloilo province recorded a total of 72 local infections.
Of the 72, 21 of which were active cases or patients who have not yet recovered.
These cases were recorded in the following towns:
* Alimodian – eight
* Bingawan – six
* Oton – three
* Batad – one
* Pototan – one
* Anilao – one
* Badiangan – one
To date, there are only two out of 42 towns and one component city of Passi in the province that have not recorded a COVID-19 case.
These were the northern municipalities of Sara and San Rafael in 5th District.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell.
COVID-19 can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 cough or exhales.
According Pulmones, COVID-1 9 cases in Region 6 spiked, particularly in Iloilo province, when locally stranded individuals and overseas started returning home.
The temporary halt in the return of LSIs somehow tempered the spike, she said./PN
