THE occupancy rate at coronavirus disease (Covid-19)-designated hospitals in Negros Occidental climbed to 62.67 percent as of Monday, January 17, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said Tuesday, January 18.
In Cadiz City District Hospital, for instance, the hospitalization rate before was only at 20 percent, Diaz said.
But most of those who were hospitalized were due to other illnesses and were later tested positive of Covid-19, he said.
Most of the patients, he said, are asymptomatic while some manifested mild symptoms and eventually recuperated after two days.
The official also stressed that it is not yet known if the cases of Covid-19 in the province is already caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant of Sars-Cov-2, which causes Covid-19.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has allowed home quarantine for those having sufficient space at home that could not pose danger of infecting other members of their households.
Lacson also allowed home quarantine for those whose family members are fully vaccinated, which is also permitted by the Inter-Agency Task Force.
It is not also remote, Diaz said, that there are persons who have Covid-19 but are not manifesting symptoms who are just roaming around.
Diaz also said they will double the number of contact tracers as part of strengthening border control using the rapid antigen test.
Meanwhile, the management of Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) in Bacolod City announced Tuesday that all admissions under its Orthopedics and Traumatology and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology will be temporarily suspended.
The Orthopedic clinic of the Out-Patient Department will cancel all consultations effective January 18 to 21, the hospital's management said.
It added that all local government units and other referring hospitals are expected to observe the coordinated patient's transfer protocol to ensure efficiency and availability of the hospital beds.