The active COVID-19 cases in Negros Occidental are dropping and its hospitals are not fully occupied.
That was the answer of Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz on Tuesday, November 2, to the report of the Bacolod government that half of the patients in the hospitals in the city are from other local government units in Negros Occidental.
It is no surprise that since the cases are also high in the province, patients are being brought to Bacolod hospitals for treatment, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said in a letter to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Friday, October 29, seeking a downgrade of the Alert Level 4 status of Bacolod.
There were 2,496 active COVID-19 cases and four new deaths in Negros Occidental, the Provincial Incident Management Team reported on Tuesday.
The Department of Health on Monday, November 1, classified Negros Occidental as a low risk area for COVID-19 under Alert Level 2.
Diaz said the three COVID-19 designated hospitals in Negros Occidental are not fully occupied.
The occupancy at the Valladolid District Hospital is at 58 percent, Cadiz District Hospital – 90 percent and Valeriano M. Gatuslao Memorial District Hospital in Himamaylan City – 47 percent, he said.
However, severe COVID-19 patients requiring intubation are brought to Bacolod hospitals, he said.
Diaz said while they are happy with the drop in COVID-19 cases the numbers can be temporary. “We still have to be very careful,” he said.
The provincial government continues to assist Bacolod’s COVID-hit residents who seek assistance through its 911 hotline, he said.
They request ambulances and swabbing for COVID-19 tests and the provincial government helps, he said.
During the weekend the provincial government transported three Bacolod patients suffering from severe COVID-19 to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, Diaz said.
The provincial government cannot say no where public health is concerned, he said.*