SIX new specialized ambulances, which will be utilized by the province's 911 Emergency and Quick Response team, were purchased by the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, its top official said.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, during the turnover rites Monday, October 25, said the ambulances will be stationed in the cities of Cadiz, Silay, La Carlota and Kabankalan, and Valladolid town.
Aside from the regular rescue and emergency functions, the units are equipped with negative pressure air systems for transport of patients with severe cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), he said.
Lacson said they no longer considered the cost of the ambulances as these are meant to save lives.
As of October 24, Negros Occidental had been categorized as low risk in terms of Covid-19 transmission.
The province, however, is currently under Alert Level 2 as hospital care utilization rate (HCUR) is still high at 67.54 percent.
Based on the latest data released by the Provincial Incident Management Team (PIMT), active Covid-19 cases in the province have lowered to 3,644 after the province recorded 149 new recoveries and 27 new fatalities on October 24.
On the same day, the province also recorded 41 new cases.
Despite the noted drop in the province's Covid-19 cases, Lacson said the situation remains far from the end, thus he urged the public to continue to follow the health protocols.
He said the number of Covid-19 deaths in the province already reached more than 1,100 since the start of the pandemic.