BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas classified this city and the province of Negros Occidental under coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Alert Level 2.
Data from DOH Region 6 showed the city’s average daily attack rate (ADAR) significantly dropped from 17.02 three to four weeks ago to just 6.14, placing the city under a “low risk” classification.
Bacolod’s hospital care utilization rate (HCUR) also decreased to 54.62 percent, while COVID-19 growth cases were down to negative 24.59 percent.
Negros Occidental also had a decreased ADAR (from 5.37 to 2.94 percent), HCUR at 46.25 percent and COVID-19 growth cases at negative 35.36 percent.
Although Bacolod is now under Alert Level 2, DOH-6 clarified that the city remains under Alert Level 4, based on the classification set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, which would last until Nov. 14.
As to the variants of the virus causing COVID-19, Bacolod had four Alpha, six Beta, 36 Theta, and 44 Delta.
Negros Occidental, meanwhile, logged 12 Alpha, 19 Beta, 22 Theta, and 30 Delta variant cases.
The DOH-6 also confirmed that the number of coronavirus cases in Western Visayas is decreasing.
There are currently no areas deemed “high risk” or “moderate risk,” DOH said.
The same could be said for the HCUR in the region, although they noted that some areas still showed “moderate” COVID-wards, Intensive Care Unit, and isolation bed occupancy.
As of Nov. 7, DOH-6 said 2,242,337 Western Visayans already received at least one dose of anti-coronavirus jabs./PN
