Western Visayas remained a low-risk area for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to the Department of Health (DOH-6).
This is based on the region’s health care utilization rate (HCUR), said Dr. Mary Jane Juanico, spokesperson of the Department of Health (DOH-6), in an interview on IMT Conversations.
To date, the region’s HCUR stands at 52 to 55 percent, according to Juanico.
HCUR refers to the number of isolation beds, intensive care units and ventilators in hospitals dedicated to COVID-19 treatment.
“If this is already beyond the moderate risk then it also signifies nga kinanglan magsaka man ang aton quarantine classification,” she said.
The whole Western Visayas is currently under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), the least stringent level of restrictions imposed by the government to prevent the further spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Western Visayas, which has 1, 563 active cases as of March 24, is logging an average of 70 positive cases daily, higher than 50 to 60 average cases in the last few months, Juanico noted.
Half of the active cases in the region involved returning residents from Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Cebu.
Iloilo province accounted for the most number of active cases in the region at 545, followed by Negros Occidental, 349; Iloilo City, 324; Bacolod City, 135; Aklan, 140; Guimaras, 38; Capiz, 23; and Antique 9.
“We are still at low risk but what we have informed to our counterpart sa mga provinces and cities is that they have also to look into their individual nga consumption sang mga hospital beds naton basi sa ila mga areas may pagsaka na sang kaso that may signify a need to increase the community quarantine classification,”said Juanico.
But she stressed that as much as possible, they do not want the region to escalate to a higher quarantine classification.IMT
