AN ADDITIONAL five employees at the Bacolod Government Center have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, a Bacolod City Emergency Operations Task Force (EOC-TF) official said Monday, April 19, 2021.
Dr. Chris Sorongon, deputy for medical data and analysis of EOC-TF, said an additional five employees at the Bacolod Government Center, one of them assigned at the Public Information Office (PIO), have tested positive for the coronavirus last week.
He said all of them were already transferred to the city’s quarantine facility.
A surveillance testing was also conducted at the Bacolod Government Center Monday and the result will be released this week.
The PIO will be temporarily closed for five days.
More than 20 employees at the Bacolod Government Center earlier tested positive for the virus.
Sorongon said Public Order and Safety Office (Poso) personnel assigned at the Bacolod Government Center were strictly implementing minimum health protocols inside the building.
“We are always reminding our employees including the visitors to always observe social distancing, always wear the face masks and face shields. We are also appealing to our constituents to tell the truth. If they are not feeling well, they should see a doctor or visit the Bacolod Respiratory Outpatient (BRO) Center in Bacolod Arts, Youth and Sports Center. Let’s do our part to fight Covid-19,” he said.
He added personnel of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) were also tasked to conduct regular disinfection at the Bacolod Government Center.
Sorongon said those who have Covid-19 symptoms such as fever and headache, among others, can visit the BRO Center for a consultation or call the EOC hotline 432-2749.
Meanwhile, Sorongon said hospital beds allocated for Covid-19 patients in Bacolod City were nearly full, with about 82 percent being occupied.
He said hospitals in Bacolod had earlier allocated at least 200 beds, but Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) decided to use 50 for the exclusive use of its hospital staff members who tested positive for the coronavirus.
He added some 126 Covid patients were admitted to various hospitals in the city.
Of the number, about 60 percent of the patients were residents of Bacolod, while the rest were from other towns and cities in Negros Occidental.
“Because of it, we are now preparing the 32-bed quarantine facility in Barangay Alijis to be used as a midway referral center,” Sorongon said.
He said they want the facility to be utilized by patients who are on their way to recuperation or those who will be finishing their 14-day isolation to reduce the number of patients in different hospitals in the city.
The city government is also expecting the arrival of additional Covid-19 vaccines on April 22 and 29, but it is not yet sure whether it will be the China-made Sinovac or the Russian-made Sputnik.