KALIBO, Aklan – Four areas in Western Visayas are under “Alert Level 3” of the Department of Health’s (DOH) new classification on the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) of infections.
The four are the provinces of Aklan, Antique and Capiz and the highly urbanized city of Bacolod.
Areas under this alert level are experiencing high case count, with increasing healthcare utilization.
DOH advised the affected areas to impose localized or granular lockdowns, decongest hospitals of mild and asymptomatic cases, increase dedicated COVID-19 beds to 30 percent and address the healthcare capacity to manage the situation.
Aklan has recorded over 9,000 confirmed cases since the pandemic started last year and nearly 200 fatalities.
The province is currently under a modified enhanced community quarantine.
The province of Iloilo and Iloilo City, meanwhile, are under Alert Level 4. Their healthcare utilization rate is greater than 70 percent. They are also deemed at “moderate to critical risk”.
Here are the two other alert levels:
* Level 2 – COVID-19 cases are low and decreasing; health care utilization rate is low, but Delta variant is present in the area; COVID-19 cases are decreasing but health care utilization rate is increasing
* Level 1 – COVID-19 case transmission is low and decreasing; health care utilization rate is low and less than 50%; Delta variant is not present in the area; risk classification is minimal to low risk; area recorded a negative two-week growth rate/PN
