ILOILO City – A total of 863 medical and non-medical frontliners in Western Visayas have contracted the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed as of Sept. 15.
Fifty-seven percent (490) are healthcare workers while 43 percent (373) are non-medical, according to Dr. Jane Juanico, medical officer of DOH Region 6.
Of the 490 COVID-19 cases among healthcare workers, 92 have already recovered.
Meanwhile, there are 391 active cases.
Of these active cases, 276 are admitted in various health care facilities while 115 are not and six are for verification.
According to Juanico, majority of infected healthcare workers are nurses (194) followed by physicians (118).
There were also medical technologists (six); nursing aides/attendants (27); midwives (23); radio technologists, (nine); and medical-related health care workers (57).
DOH also logged one healthcare worker from Bacolod City who died due to the infectious disease.
For non-medical frontliners, majority are government employees with 292 of them actives cases; 209 are admitted, 83 are not admitted, 77 recovered, one died and three are for verification.
Bacolod City, which had a recent mass testing, logged the most number of cases among frontliners at 250 followed by Iloilo City with 224, Negros Occidental with 168, Iloilo province with 148, Capiz with 44, Guimaras with 12, Aklan with nine, and Antique with eight.
The total cumulative confirmed cases (since March) in Western Visayas now stand at 7,955.
On the other hand, the region’s death toll is now at 124. Four additional deaths were recorded on Tuesday.
COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December 2019.
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.
Most people (about 80 percent) recover from the disease without needing special treatment, according to the World Health Organization./PN
