BE ON GUARD. More Ilonggos are submitting to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) inoculation. Mayor Jerry Treñas, in a statement on Tuesday (Sept. 14, 2021), urged the public to protect themselves by observing health protocols and availing of the inoculation. (Photo courtesy of Arnold Almacen)
ILOILO CITY – Iloilo City has recorded seven more cases of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) prompting the call for the public to be extra cautious.
“We really have to double our guards, especially that we have the Delta variant in our midst. I urge everyone to observe stricter protocols, and avail of the vaccination. We have the vaccines waiting for you,” Mayor Jerry Treñas said in a statement on Tuesday.
The seven additional cases of the Delta variant were released to the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) by the Department of Health Epidemiology Bureau on Sept. 11.
The new detection raised the total Delta cases recorded in this metro to 22.
Of the seven, six were tagged as recovered, while one is an active case.
Three of them are fully vaccinated, including the active case, one has received the first dose and the rest were not inoculated.
Those tagged as recovered will be re-swabbed and quarantined pending results, according to CESU.
Once positive, they will undergo isolation for 14 days; if negative, they will be released from quarantine.
Meanwhile, the local government is now preparing for additional bed capacity to accommodate the increasing cases of the Covid-19 and address the city’s high health care utilization rate (HCUR).
Upon request to the national government, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will be constructing a 66-bed modular hospital near the existing quarantine facility in Barangay Sooc.
The temporary hospital will be designated for mild to moderate cases.
An additional 32 isolation bed facility will be built in front of the existing one, also in Sooc.
“It is clear that the Delta variant and all the other variants are affecting our numbers. Hospitals are getting full and the deaths are growing. Protect yourself and your families by following health protocols and get vaccinated right away," Treñas said.
As of Sept. 14, Iloilo City has 2, 277 total active cases, 15, 735 total recoveries, and 472 verified deaths as per the regional case bulletin of the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV CHD). (PNA)
