ILOILO – Between Aug. 15 to Aug. 21 (morbidity week 34), the province registered 1,927 new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), its highest weekly recording since the pandemic started last year.
Data from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) showed this was 600 cases higher compared to that of morbidity week 33 (Aug. 8 to Aug. 14) that reached 1,328; and 1,063 cases during morbidity week 32 (Aug. 1 to Aug. 7).
Five local government units (LGUs) with high COVID-19 cases in in week 34 were Oton, 153; San Joaquin, 136; Santa Barbara, 129; Pavia, 109; and Passi City, 75.
Here are the cases per day listed from Aug. 15 to Aug. 21: Aug. 15 (174 cases), Aug. 16 (110), Aug. 17 (178), Aug. 18 (386), Aug. 19 (313), Aug. 20 (174), and Aug. 21 (319).
BREACH OF PROTOCOL
According to Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, acting head of the PHO, the surge in COVID-19 cases from Aug. 15 to Aug. 21 was possibly due to people breaching the minimum public health standards.
“Ang iban wala naga-usar sang maskar ukon manghinaw kag wala naga-distansya, kag nagakaon nga ga-atubangay,” Quiñon told Panay News.
She reminded barangay officials and the Philippine National Police to strictly enforce the public health standards, especially the ban on social gatherings like birthday parties, fiestas, baptisms, weddings, and gambling at funeral wakes.
Quiñon also urged economic frontliners to observe reverse isolation at home.
COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION
Quiñon believed there is already a community transmission of the more virulent Delta variant of the virus causing COVID-19 here.
The PHO head cited the 27 cases detected in Oton (seven), Santa Barbara (four), Zarraga (two), Dingle (two), Janiuay (two), Guimbal (one), Pavia (two), San Miguel (one), Alimodian (two), Banate (one), Cabatuan (one), Concepcion (one), and San Joaquin (one).
According to Quiñon, on Aug. 13 the province sent 192 specimens with high viral load to the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) in Metro Manilas for genomic sequencing.
Of these, 28 were confirmed positive for various variants including the Delta, Alpha, Beta, and P3.
As of Aug. 23, the province had 3,942 active COVID-19 cases, and its death toll at 565.
The five areas with the highest active cases were Oton (341), Santa Barbara (332), Passi City (289), Pavia (248), and San Joaquin (200)./PN
