ILOILO City – Cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in this southern city has increased.
From 11 in September, the daily average increased to 29 from October 1 to 16, according to Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna, City Health Office’s (CHO) Medical Officer IV and Iloilo City COVID-19 Task Force chair.
The CHO also noted an increase in the average daily attack rate (ADAR) of COVID-19 cases – from 1.72 percent in September to 5.87 percent as of Oct. 16.
Fortuna said increase was specifically noted following the bulk of individuals who underwent COVID-19 testing as a requirement in schools or work.
“Madamo nagapa-test. Ang iban requirement sa work kag iban sa schools. Madamo kita mga estudyante nga nagapa-test kag madamo kita sang nabaton nga positive result,” said Fortuna.
This shows that many individuals are positive for COVID-19 but remain asymptomatic and can be only detected through reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing, said CHO officer-in-charge, Dr. Annabelle Tang,
Fortuna suggested that it is best to be vaccinated or get booster shots.
He also reiterated the need to still follow health protocols, especially physical distancing and proper wearing of facemask in places of convergence or crowded places.
As of Oct. 15, the city has 235 active cases of COVID-19 from a total of 35,207 confirmed cases since its first case in 2020. The city also logged 697 COVID-19 deaths./PN
