KALIBO, Aklan – Only a matter of time the province of Aklan will be raised to the second-higher coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) alert level in response to the rapid increase of cases.
As it stands, Aklan could transition to Alert Level 3 this week as concerns on growth rate on cases and positivity rate are alarming.
The two-week growth rate in the recent two weeks is at 2,125 percent, while the health care utilization rate is at 1.47 percent.
That means the province will tighten its coronavirus restrictions in mid-January to combat COVID-19 Infections.
The rate of infections has increased in Kalibo, Malay, Banga, and Numancia, registering 213 new cases in recent days.
The infections are also rising in other towns – Ibajay with 16 new cases, New Washington with 14, and Batan with 13 – compared to zero cases in December.
The staggering COVID-19 caseload will likely continue to climb should the government continue to ease restrictions.
There are also several concerns about the highly transmissible Omicron variant, although it is not yet detected in Aklan.
Provincial Administrator Atty. Selwyn Ibarreta said they are still encouraging the people who have not been vaccinated to take the vaccines to protect themselves and the community from COVID-19 variants.
Nearly 73 percent of the eligible population so far has been fully vaccinated.
Ibarreta said the public is encouraged to take any extra precautions by wearing a mask in public, observing social distancing, and avoiding crowds to prevent the spread of the virus. /PN
