AMID the decline in the number of cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the city, the Bacolod Respiratory Outpatient (BRO) Center will continue to provide free consultation and swabbing.
Dr. Chris Sorongon, deputy for medical data and analysis of Emergeny Operations Center(EOC)-TF, said Tuesday, March 29, 2022, that regardless of the city's alert level status, Bacolod's swabbing cluster is still operational.
The facility is located at the Bacolod Arts, Youth and Sports (Bays) Center on San Juan Street near the public plaza.
“Though the city maintained its Alert Level 1 status, Bacolodnons can still avail the free consultations and free swabbing at BRO Center," Sorongon said.
He added that most of the patients at BRO Center are non-Covid related.
The BRO Center catered to the patients with respiratory conditions such as cough, nasal congestion, asthma or flu.
The respiratory center has a triage area, 10 separate consultation rooms, a laboratory collection room, and a mobile X-ray machine.
Sorongon said Bacolod City recorded single-digit of new Covid-19 cases since last week, and that they are hopeful to continue the decrease of Covid-19 cases in the city.
“So far, we don’t have a directive to close the BRO Center so we will continue to accommodate those who want to avail a free consultation and swabbing,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sorongon said that starting April 1, they will close some of the vaccination centers in malls like those in City Mall Goldenfield, City Mall Mandalagan, Gaisano City Mall, and Robinsons Place Bacolod.
“We will only open the SM Mall and Ayala Malls Capitol Central because some of the vaccinators will be deployed to the mobile vaccination in various barangays and schools,” he said.
He added it’s the directive of Mayor Evelio Leonardia to go down in different barangays to inoculate the children five to 11 years old and senior citizens.
Sorongon noted that Bacolod City earlier received 30,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines from the national government for children aged five to 11 years old.
As of March 14, 2022, 5,780 children from the said age group received their first shots, 808 of which are already fully vaccinated.
On the target population data from Department of Health (DOH) Western Visayas, Bacolod City has a total of 80,000 children aged five to 11.
Of the figures, the city was given a target of 45,000 children to be inoculated against Covid-19.