ILOILO City – This city ranked third among local government units (LGUs) outside the National Capital Region with the most number of new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases from June 11 to 17, said Mayor Jerry Treñas. He asked the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) and the medical community to investigate.
Are the new COVID-19 variants already here and causing the fast transmission? He wants to know.
“I am afraid this might already be a new variant. I ask the medical community and all the members of the National IATF to come down and check our actual situation. Investigate if it is now the new variant we are fighting,” said Treñas.
“I call on the Iloilo medical community to please review everything so that you can also give your suggestions and recommendations. The cases continue to grow very, very fast,” he added.
Treñas found it alarming that Iloilo City had been named one of the LGUs with the most number of new infections. Top 1 is Davao City with 232 new cases followed by Bacolod City with 163.
“With 132 cases having unidentified causes of transmission, the Ilonggos become more vulnerable. To protect them, we have been utilizing all vaccines available and hiring more medical personnel to take care of our patients. We are also awaiting additional support,” said Treñas.
This is the second time the city mayor expressed concern on the possible presence of COVID variants in the city. Even the Department of Health-Center for Development (DOH-CHD) Region 6 does not discount the possibility.
However, results of specimen samples sent to the Philippine Genome Center for genome sequencing showed no local cases of the new variant in the region yet.
Genome sequencing is a technique that allows researchers to decipher the genetic information found in the DNA and will provide scientific proof whether new COVID variants are now in the region.
One South African and three United Kingdom variants of the coronavirus were detected in returning Western Visayan overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and locally stranded individuals (LSIs), but these were detected previously while they were still in Manila and all have recovered already.
The regional health office continues to send specimen to the genome center for sequencing./PN
