The Bacolod Emergency Operations Center is intensifying its campaign against COVID-19 as cases continue to rise at alarming rates, City Administrator Em Ang, EOC executive director, said Thursday, April 15.
Their goal is to further intensify contact tracing, expand targeted testing, strictly observe extraction and isolation protocols, and increase capacity of quarantine facilities, Ang said.
Bacolod City had 81 new COVID-19 patients Thursday, for a total of 582 active cases, the Department of Health reported.
Of the 81 new cases, 77 were caused by local transmission, three were returning Overseas Filipinos and one was a Locally Stranded Individual.
There were also two new COVID-19 deaths in Bacolod City for a total of 195.
Ang said the Bacolod City Government Center has been operating on a skeleton force with 51 city government employees having tested positive for COVID-19 since March 31.
She also noted that another Casino Filipino Bacolod employee has tested positive for COVID-19, which is now being closely monitored.
The EOC had the casino, which does not have proper ventilation, inspected again, Ang said.
The cases continue to rise, there are a lot of household close contacts who are testing positive, she said.
Ang said the EOC has already requested for tests to determine if a new COVID-19 variant has hit the city.
There are asymptomatic persons at city quarantine facilities who all of a sudden become symptomatic, suffer from difficulty in breathing and have to be rushed to the hospital, Ang said.
“This is unlike last year, the behavior of the virus is different now,” she said.
The EOC has sought the help of the Bacolod police to augment the city’s contact tracers to help put a stop to the spread of the virus, she said.
EOC cluster heads – though some of them are on quarantine themselves – continue to hold daily meetings virtually to discuss new strategies to address the alarming increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Bacolod, a press release from the Bacolod Public Information Office said Thursday.
The EOC has tackled the need for continuous coordination with the barangays, the healthcare system, and other sectors, Ang said.
The EOC will also continue promoting its information and education campaign, to create awareness among Bacolodnons on the need for preventive measures against the continuous spread of COVID-19, she added.
“COVID-19 is everywhere,” Dr. Chris Sorongon, EOC deputy for medical data and analysis, said.
To underscore his point on avoiding superspreader events, Sorongon cited a COVID-19 index who contracted the virus while dining in a restaurant in the city.
“Follow minimum health protocols like the wearing of face masks and face shields. Maintain hand hygiene and physical distancing. Please avoid major spreader events like mass gatherings and dining out,” Sorongon said.*