More COVID-19 variants suspected in Dagupan
31 NEW CASES
CITY Mayor Brian Lim warned different COVID-19 variants, including the highly infectious Delta variant, may already be in Dagupan City given the reported 31 new confirmed cases on August 10, the highest number of new cases registered on a single day this year.
Known to be deadlier than the original COVID-19 strain and other variants of concern, Lim warned that the Delta variant can infect anyone within minutes of exposure to someone infected, and worse, it could infect even the younger population from one to three years old.
He echoed the concern that once the Delta variant strikes, it may cause higher bed utilization rate in local hospitals and other health care facilities and this could result in stricter quarantine classification in the city.
The 31 new cases on August 10 increased the number of active cases to 176, and further to 194 the next day, August 11 with the addition of 24 more cases and only six patients recovered.
In sum, Barangay Pantal again logged the most number of cases among all 31 barangays of Dagupan with 23 active cases, followed by Bonuan Gueset (23), Mayombo (19), Caranglaan (16), Malued (14), Tapuac (14), Bonuan Boquig (11), Lucao (11), Bonuan Binloc (7), Poblacion Oeste (7), Bolosan (5), Tambac (45), Tebeng (4), Bacayao Norte (2), Bacayao Sur (2), Mangin (2 ), Barangay IV (1), Calmay (1), Carael (1) and Hererro-Perez (1).
Meanwhile, the Dagupan PIO reported that as of August 9, the bed utilization at the Region 1 Medical Center already reached the critical level of 82 percent (98 beds occupied out of 120 beds dedicated for COVID-19) leaving only 22 beds available.
The private hospitals’ 154 dedicated beds, 92 beds have been occupied or 60 percent with only 54 beds available.
However, only 54 of 108 beds in the quarantine facility put up by the local government were occupied or a utilization rate of 49.54 percent.
To counter the continued rise in the cases, Lim ordered vaccination in the city to step up.
Dagupan City and the provinces of Pangasinan and Ilocos Sur have been placed under Alert Level 3 while Ilocos Norte was in Level 4, the highest level in the new classification system approved by the National IATF-I for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The provinces were classified based on their case transmission, health care, utilization rate and the presence of the highly infectious Delta variant. (Leonardo Micua)
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