NEGRENSES are warned to be more careful as the surge in the number of new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infections and deaths continues and is worstening.
Provincial Administrator lawyer Rayfrando Diaz II reported that for September 2021 alone, specifically from September 1 to 22, a total of 166 people died due to the disease.
"This is the worst death rate and it keeps going up,” Diaz said, adding that most deaths are those having other [medical] conditions that are making them more vulnerable.
The official said the provincial government is doing its best with what it has to save the patients.
He lamented that “most of the cases happen very fast that death comes only after a day of the occurrence of the symptoms.”
In terms of positivity rate, Diaz said the number has reached an average of 300 cases per day.
The Department of Health-Western Visayas logged 320 fresh Covid cases in Negros Occidental, all are local transmissions, Thursday, September 23.
The figure brought the total number of active cases in the province to 3,055.
“We are weathering a strong storm now and hopefully these could be handled by our health care system," he said, pointing out that some institutions are already full.
The provincial government is looking for ways so that the growing number of positive cases will be addressed at the provincial quarantine facilities, if not in hospitals, the official said.
As of Thursday, there were 120 positive patients quarantined at the provincial facility in Cadiz City; 55 at Mambukal Mountain Resort in Murcia; 180 in EB Magalona; and 150 in Silay City.
Diaz said the patients of mild cases are being sent by the local government units (LGUs) and are being accommodated by the province until they can be discharged.
He reiterated the appeal of Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson among Negrenses to be more careful and to only go out for essential purposes only.
“We should take care especially now that most of those getting infected are the whole family already,” the provincial administrator said, adding that there are cases where three or five members of the family are quarantined.
Diaz expressed hopes that the province can overcome this situation soon.
Meanwhile, he reported that the testing rate in the province is also higher like that of the contact tracing.
He said the objective is to overtake the infection rate and to stop the spread of the “very strong” virus.