ILOILO City – The Department of Health (DOH) in Region 6 urged the public to always practice the minimum public health standards (MPHS) this holiday season.
Citing family gatherings and parties, Dr. Marie Jocelyn Te, medical officer IV at DOH-6, said they could not guarantee there won’t be an increase in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections.
However, if there is a surge in cases, hospitals are ready to cater to them, she said.
As of Dec. 24, the health care utilization rate in the region was at 22.19 percent.
Of the 445 COVID-19 ward beds, only 4.49 percent are occupied; the 149 intensive care unit beds are 17.45 percent utilized; the 1,331 isolation beds are 31.10 percent occupied; while only 4.35 percent of the 184 mechanical ventilators are utilized.
“While there has been a decreasing case of COVID-19 cases in the country, Filipinos are advised not to let their guards down and prioritize the health and safety of their families,” sad Te.
As of Dec. 26, Te said, based on the situation report of the DOH regional epidemiology and surveillance unit (RESU), Western Visayas is left with 2,048 active cases out of its 146,150 total cumulative cases.
The daily average cases dropped to 27 as of Dec. 26 from 87 in November; 317 in October; 820 in September; and 596 in July and August this year.
Te attributed the decline to the massive vaccination drive and the continued implementation of the MPHS.
As of 6 a.m. of Monday, the Regional Vaccination Operations Center (RVOC) data showed that 4,126,177 eligible individuals in Western Visayas have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines while 3,051,425 individuals are already fully vaccinated of the target 5,579,380 eligible population.
The over four million with at least one dose is already equivalent to 73.94 percent of the target eligible population, while those fully vaccinated already comprise over 50 percent of the target.
Moreover, 46,491 individuals coming from the health care workers, senior citizens, and adults with comorbidity have already received booster doses. (PNA)
