The Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center-Task Force (EOC-TF) has recorded all-time high new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the city yesterday, January 17.
Em Ang, executive director of EOC-TF, said that based on the data submitted by the molecular laboratories in the city on Sunday night, Bacolod has a total of 189 new Covid-19 cases.
This is the highest single day Covid-19 cases so far since the start of the pandemic, Ang said, adding that the highest recorded single day new case was 180 in May last year.
Most of the new Covid-19 cases have travel history, there were pregnant women and those with comorbidities with majority of them are asymptomatic.
In spite of the high new Covid-19 cases, Bacolod City recorded only 31 hospital utilization rate with only one Covid-19 patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Ang stressed.
EOC-TF records also showed as of January 1 to 16, Bacolod City has a total of 24, 472 Covid-19 cases.
Of the number, 22, 927 patients have already recovered, 730 are active cases, and 806 deaths.
Ang said they already allowed the home isolation since majority of the new cases in the city are asymptomatic, but the patient should comply with the requirements.
She said asymptomatic Covid-19 patients can make a request with the EOC-TF for home isolation, and among its requirements is that the household must be fully vaccinated while the Covid patient should have a separate room.
It will be inspected by the EOC team along with the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
“For now, we are using the three public schools as the quarantine centers and we are preparing eight other schools to accommodate all the Covid-19 patients,” Ang said.
Meanwhile, the official said they are also intensifying their vaccination program in various barangays especially, those who will avail the booster shots.*