ILOILO City – The death toll from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Western Visayas has risen to 534 as of Nov. 24.
Six new casualties were recorded on Tuesday, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
Bacolod City had the highest number of COVID-19 deaths at 161, followed by Negros Occidental with 119.
Iloilo City logged 116 deaths; Iloilo province, 86; Capiz, 40; Aklan, 8; Guimaras 3; and Antique 1.
Also as of Nov. 24, the region had a total of 1,807 active cases while recovered cases further rose to 16,837.
Overall since the pandemic started early this year, Western Visayas recorded 19,178 cases of which 16,642 were local transmissions.
What can one do to protect himself and prevent the spread of the disease?
Regularly and thoroughly clean hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
Maintain at least one meter distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
Follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering the mouth and nose with bent elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
Stay home if feeling unwell. If having fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough.
Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell.
According to the World Health Organization, most people (about 80 percent) recover from the disease without needing special treatment.
Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness.
People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales.
These droplets also land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth./PN
