BACOLOD City Mayor Evelio Leonardia has reiterated his appeal to all Bacolodnons to remain vigilant by continuing to observe minimum health protocols.
This came after two new Covid-19 Delta variant cases were detected in Bacolod City, based on the report by the Philippine Genome Center on August 16.
"I am renewing this appeal as Bacolod City received confirmation from the Department of Health that two new Delta variant positives were reported in Barangay Mansilingan by the Philippine Genome Center. This brings to four the total Delta variant cases in Bacolod City," Leonardia said in a statement.
The third Delta variant case is a three-year-old male who was swabbed on July 15, 2021. He was asymptomatic based on his Case Investigation Form (CIF).
The fourth Delta case is a 63-year-old female resident, also of Mansilingan. She was swabbed on July 23 and was symptomatic. Her CIF showed that she was fully vaccinated with Sinovac.
"Upon receiving the report, I immediately ordered local containment measures/surgical lockdown of the affected residential areas. There is no cause for alarm as both patients have already recovered," Leonardia said.
He said the asymptomatic male Delta case has already been released from the mandatory 10-day quarantine, while the 63-year-old underwent 14-day isolation and had also been cleared.
Last week, a 71-year-old male resident of Barangay Banago and a 32-year-old pregnant woman from Barangay Sum-ag also tested positive for the Delta variant.
Aside from Delta variant cases, Bacolod City also recorded five Covid-19 Theta variant cases.
In July, the Department of Health-Western Visayas sent a total of 166 samples to the PGC where five residents from Bacolod City were tested positive for the Theta variant, a variant of interest, and two others were positive for the Delta variant.
"Rest assured that your City Government, through our Emergency Operations Center (EOC) headed by City Administrator Em Legaspi-Ang and the medical team, are on top of the situation," Leonardia said.
Apart from the surgical lockdown and ongoing contact tracing measures, the EOC has already conducted repeat swabbing of the two, including their close contacts.
Leonardia said contact tracing of up to third-generation close contacts is also being done.