PANDEMIC IN PANGASINAN

COVID-19 cases in Pangasinan spurted with 505 new confirmed cases but this was kept at bay by the bigger number of patients recovering pegged at 692 as gleaned from the monitoring conducted by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) from July 23 to 29.

This as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, which compelled the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATC-EID) to upgrade their classification from Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) and General Community Quarantine (GCQ), respectively.

According to the Department of Health-Center for Health Development 1 (DOH-CHD 1), the Delta variant was already detected on one returning Overseas Filipino Worker in Ilocos Norte, which is being looked into as the possible reason for the sudden spike of cases in that northernmost province of Region 1.

Based on records of the PHO, the number of active cases in Pangasinan was pruned down to 607 as of July 29, from 780 on July 22, proving that the Delta or any mutation of the COVID-19 strain has not entered the doors of the province yet.

The latest count raised the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases detected in the province since the contagion began in March last year to 14,517. Of the number, 13,492 had recovered while 444 had died.

The biggest number of recoveries of patients was registered on July 29 when there were 328 patients who were discharged from their hospital confinement and quarantine isolation in their homes and LGU-managed facilities as compared to 26 new confirmed cases. There was no death recorded that day.

Of the 328 patients that recovered, 283 were from Pangasinan and 45 from Dagupan, an independent component city.

The high number of recoveries was attributed to the improved treatment management practices given by the province’s health care professionals – the doctors, nurses, etc.

As to Delta variant, Dr. Anna de Guzman, provincial health officer, maintained her previous statement before the Sangguniang Panlalawigan that this type of strain that originated from India has not yet entered the province but asked the Pangasinenses not to relax their vigilance amid the serious threat of this variant.

All the border control points of the province have so far tightened their alert level to prevent the entry of persons without latest negative RT-PCR tests and that the coastal municipalities have been put on alert over crewmen of foreign vessels who leave their ships in order to buy food and other provisions inland. (Leonardo Micua)

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