THE Department of Health (DOH) confirmed an additional 175 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, bringing the total count in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) to 883 as of September 10.
Dr. Ruby Constantino, DOH-CAR director, said despite the additional cases, the region is still in the initiation phase and ranked 13th out of the 17 regions having the most Covid-19 cases in the country.
"Cordillera has a total of 883 confirmed cases compared to that reported on August 26 having 708 cases with 24.72 percent increase with 12 deaths at 1.36 percent case fatality rate and 759, which is 85.96 percent recoveries. The prevalence rate is at 48.46 percent per 100,000 population," Constantino said.
Latest data from the Fassster database monitoring system showed that the case doubling time for CAR was listed at 16.67 days, while the critical case utilization rate was recorded at 43.6 percent.
More males were recorded to have been infected by the virus at 473 or at 53.57 percent, with the age group still remaining at 20 to 39 years old.
Out of the 883 cases, 101 are still admitted but in stable condition while one severe case is under close monitoring.
"The additional 175 cases are three from Abra, one from Apayao, seven in Ifugao, 39 from Kalinga, three in Mountain Province, 27 from Benguet and 95 from Baguio," Constantino said.
A clustering of cases were noted in various places and settings with Baguio City, Benguet and Abra recording cases from uniformed personnel, bank personnel in Benguet, certain work places and households in Kalinga, and in Baguio City's banks, hospitals and isolation units, and supermarkets at the central business centers.
"It is a fact that our region had greater percentages of asymptotic and mildly symptomatic confirmed cases which is why the need to establish more community isolation facilities is necessary. Based on our latest data, we have a total of 28 health monitoring facilities which have been established in the region with a total 620 bed capacity which reveals a 1 is to 2,916 isolation bed to population ratio with a target of 1 is to 2,500 population ratio," Constantino said.
Isolation facilities have yet to established in the provinces of Ifugao and Mountain Province wherein 84 and 63 beds, respectively, are required to comply with the isolation bed to population ratio.
Apayao, Abra and Kalinga have established their own isolation facilities but still lack in bed capacity.
"The scenarios must prompt our local government units to be more expeditious in establishing such facilities in order to attain the regional target of one isolation bed is to 2,500 population ratio. Mildly symptomatic and asymptotic confirmed cases must strictly undergo isolation or quarantine in designated health isolation units to prevent possible spread in that community, these cases need to be admitted in referral facilities did not need to be admitted anymore thus lessening the surge capacity in the said facilities," Constantino added.