THE City Government of Bacolod has recorded a steady decline in Covid-19 infections in the city in the past two weeks.
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) records showed that in August, Bacolod City recorded only two-digit new cases in the last 14 days, averaging 36 cases per day.
In spite of the steady decline of the Covid-19 cases, Mayor Evelio Leonardia, who has been hands-on in the anti-Covid drive in the last 20 months, also appealed to the public not to let their guard down because Covid spread is difficult to predict.
"While we welcome the decline at a time when cases are surging in other areas, we should not let our guard down because the pattern of Covid infections is unpredictable. It's been a roller coaster ride with Covid since early last year," Leonardia in a statement said.
In June 2021, however, the local government unit was registering three-digit new cases daily, averaging 119 per day. New cases slipped to only 73 daily in July.
For the same period, the city had a total of 1,934 Covid-19 active cases, while in July 2021, Bacolod had a total of 913 Covid-19 active cases.
"We are, therefore, appealing for your continued understanding and full cooperation if we want to keep the rate of infections down by following minimum health protocols such as wearing of face masks and face shield when necessary, social distancing and observance of proper sanitation and regular disinfection and follow relevant stipulations of our executive order under the current general community quarantine with heightened restrictions (GCQ-HR), Leonardia said.
City Administrator Em Ang, executive director of EOC-Task Force, said since the declaration of the pandemic, the Covid-19 cases in the city peaked at 15,978 with recoveries booked at 15,124 or a recovery rate of 94.66 percent.
As of August 11, Bacolod City had a total of 15, 829 Covid-19 cases. Of the number, 14, 734 patients already recovered, 724 active cases with 368 deaths.
Ang reiterated that under the GCQ-HR status, people are being discouraged to attend mass gatherings that could be super spreaders.
“Our compliance means that we are not only protecting ourselves but also our families and the community as well,” she said.
Meanwhile, Leonardia also expressed his gratitude to Secretary Carlito Galvez for fulfilling his promise that the National Inter-Agency Task Force will provide Moderna vaccines in the city.
On Tuesday, Bacolod City received an initial 14,980 doses of Moderna vaccines from the national government.
"Let us thank Secretary Galvez for fulfilling his promise to me that the NIATF will give us the Moderna vaccines," Leonardia said.
He said Bacolod is also one of the very few cities in the country that was given a second tranche of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) Fund by the national government last year for Covid-affected residents.
He added that more than 112,000 household recipients in Bacolod availed of the P1.4 billion SAP funds from the national government.
Ang also said the city government, through Leonardia's office, had been relentless in its efforts to generate all the support it can get from the national government.
She said the mayor constantly communicates not only with the NIATF but also with the Office of the President, among others, to make sure that Bacolod's needs are being catered to.