ALL-TIME HIGH IN ONE DAY

THOUGH Pangasinan logged 2,629 new cases in what could be the biggest COVID-19 surge in a week, hopes were rekindled when 807 patients recovered on September 1 that went down in the history of the pandemic as the biggest single day recovery in the province since the start of the contagion.

These recorded recoveries registered on September 1 pulled down the number of active cases from August 27 to September 1 who are still confined in hospitals or LGU-managed isolation facilities and on home quarantine to 2,397, slightly lower than the 2,329 active cases last registered on August 26.

The 807 patients that recovered overshadowed the also all-time high of 721 new confirmed cases registered by the province on August 27 as Pangasinan reeled under the impact of the Delta variant that managed to reach the province based on the results of genome sequencing of specimens of 11 COVID patients, a number of whom were newly arrived Overseas Filipino Workers.

The Provincial Health Office (PHO) reported that as of September 2, there were 20,626 confirmed cases; 17,436 had recovered and 793 died.

The death toll for the seven-day period was also high at 199, the highest so far registered on a single week that saw 58 patients dying alone on August 29.

In an interview on Thursday, PHO chief Dr. Anna de Guzman said most of the active cases are in home quarantine or are in isolation facilities of the local government units and hospitals.

De Guzman said most of cases are those who had close contact with previously tested positive individuals, among them are authorized persons outside of residence (APOR) and frontline health workers.

Meanwhile, with reports that most of the health care facilities in Pangasinan and Dagupan presently overflowing with patients, the Department of Health-Center for Health Development 1 has focused its attention from Ilocos Norte to Pangasinan, noting that Governor Amado Espino III has recommended to the regional IATF-EID a higher quarantine status of the province because of its surging COVID-19 cases.

Dr. Rheuel Bobis, COVID-19 focal person in Region 1, said the recommendation of Governor Espino was immediately endorsed by the regional IATF-EID to the national IATF-EID but no action has so far been taken on the matter.

Currently, Pangasinan and Dagupan, an independent component city within the province, are under the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) classification from September 1 to 15 this year.

Several towns already adopted downgraded quarantine classification on their own. Villasis reverted to General Community Quarantine; Sison, to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine; Urdaneta City, to GCQ; and Pozorrubio, where a Delta variant was detected last week, to MECQ. (Leonardo Micua/Jerick Pasiliao)

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