NEGROS Occidental Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz confirmed Monday, August 15, that the Department of Health (DOH) has lowered the Covid-19 alert level in the province to "Alert Level 1" following a continued drop in Covid-19 cases.

Based on the latest Covid-19 situation released by the Provincial Incident Management Team, active cases in Negros Occidental is now at 928 as of August 15.

Total cases in Negros Occidental since March of last year is at 22,034 with 20,531 recoveries and 575 deaths.

Diaz said the DOH downgraded the province's alert level because the positivity rate is dropping and the province's hospital occupancy is only at 33.2 percent.

The province has no case of Delta variant of Covid-19, Diaz said.

He also said the province's alert level should have already been at Level 1 in the first place.

Alert Level 1 means that the number of case transmissions is decreasing, low healthcare utilization, and the absence of the Delta variant.

Previously, Negros Occidental was placed on Alert Level 2.

Meanwhile, Diaz confirmed that the rollout of Moderna vaccines has been ongoing and in fact, deliveries were made yesterday to local government units who request the said vaccine.