ILOILO City – Western Visayas is capping off its battle against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) this year with 725 remaining active infections as of Dec. 30.
The figure is out of a total of 21,546 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region, data from the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 showed.
The total active cases were from Negros Occidental with 253; Iloilo province, 166; Iloilo City, 166; Aklan, 78; Bacolod City, 71; Capiz, 23; Guimaras, nine, and Antique with only seven.
As to the classification of total confirmed cases, 77.10 percent were asymptomatic, 16.55 percent were mild and 5.79 percent were severe.
So far, 20,163 Western Visayans have completely recuperated from the viral illness.
The death toll, on the other hand, stood at 652, with zero new fatalities on Wednesday.
In a an interview, Dr. Marie Jocelyn Te of the DOH-6 said although the region’s cases are no longer that high, the public must continue observing health protocols and never be complacent.
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.
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.
Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness./PN
