ILOILO City – The Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 has detected a small surge in the COVID-19 cases in the region.
Dr. Mary Jane Roches Juanico-Esteva, head of DOH-6 Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU), said, “From Oct. 1 to 7, we saw an increase of about 30 cases, approximately 60% more than the cases recorded in preceding weeks.”
As of Oct. 7, active cases in the region stood at 1,839 broken down as follows:
* 48.22% were asymptomatic
* 45.51% were mild cases
* 4.83% moderate
* 1.38% severe
* 0.05% critical
Fortunately, Esteva noted, “The silver lining is that we currently have no severe or critical cases.”
Here’s the breakdown by age of the 1,839 active cases:
* Below one year: 98 cases
* 1-10 years – 109 cases
* 11-20 years – 120 cases
* 21-30 years – 379 cases
* 31-40 years – 260 cases
* 41-50 years – 148 cases
* 51-60 years – 215 cases
* 61-70 years – 219 cases
* 71-80 years – 188 cases
* 81-90 years – 120 cases
* 90 years and above – 120 cases
The region’s healthcare infrastructure has a low utilization rate. Out of 1,398 non-ICU beds, only 289 are occupied (20.67%). Of the 129 ICU beds available, only three are in use (2.33%).
Since the pandemic began, Western Visayas has seen 209,972 confirmed cases: 1,839 remain active, 201,141 have recovered, and 6,799 have tragically passed away.
Esteva attributed the minor spike to increased mobility after the nationwide lifting of the COVID-19 State of Public Health Emergency last July. Additionally, the changing climate might have weakened people’s immune systems.
Given this, she emphasized the need for symptomatic individuals to self-isolate to prevent the spread, especially to those with pre-existing conditions.
“Even mild symptoms like coughs or colds should warrant self-isolation to avoid potential transmission,” she said.
Early consultation is particularly recommended for senior citizens.
Regarding testing, DOH-6 continues to encourage COVID-19 case reporting. Symptomatic individuals are urged to get tested for better illness management.
Ultimately, the decision for testing should be based on healthcare providers’ recommendations and assessments./PN
