ILOILO – Thirty-one of 42 towns and one component city in this province were able to record deaths due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
According to the Provincial Health Office (PHO), the province’s death toll is now at 62 or 2.55 percent of the 2,377 total confirmed cases.
These deaths were recorded in the towns of Estancia (six); San Miguel and Oton (four each); Pavia, Barotac Nuevo, Lambunao, San Enrique, and San Joaquin (three each); Santa Barbara, Maasin, Dingle, Barotac Viejo, Miag-ao, Dumangas, Cabatuan, Guimbal, Leganes, and Janiuay (two each); Tigbauan, Concepcion, Sara, Calinog, Zarraga, Estancia, Banate, Carles, Badiangan, Batad, Anilao, Lemery, and Pototan (one each).
The 12 municipalities that have yet to log COVID-19 deaths were San Rafael, Tubungan, Mina, Bingawan, Ajuy, Balasan, Dueñas, Alimodian, San Dionisio, and Leon, and Passi City.
Aside from casualties, the PHO also detected 17 critically-ill cases in the towns of Oton (three); Cabatuan, Barotac Nuevo, and Guimbal (two each); and San Dionisio, Alimodian, Igbaras, Pavia, Passi City, Sta. Barbara, and Barotac Viejo (one each).
According to Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, the key to stop or at least slowing down the spread of coronavirus is to practice the “3M strategy” (Mag Maskara, Mag Distancia kag Manghinaw).
She urged the public to avoid attending public gatherings like birthdays, wakes and burials, among others, that could lead to more COVID-19 infections.
“Some of our patients got infected after they attended birthday parties, wakes and funerals. So, please watch out always,” Quiñon said.
People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales.
These droplets also land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
As of Monday, the province had a total of 1,633 active COVID-19 cases, leaving 682 active infections being monitored.
The five municipalities having the most number of cases were Oton, 257; Pavia 227; Passi City, 168; Santa Barbara, 103; and Tigbauan, 94.
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./PN
