BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental logged seven deaths related to COVID 19 in the past 12 days of this month, as cases near 200 as of August 12, a report of the Provincial Incident Management Team.
PIMT reported 19 new cases, eight recoveries and one death yesterday.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, however said that the health care utilization rates remain very low.
Tumimbang said that active cases are being managed by local government units in their respective quarantine facilities, or placed under home quarantine.
Majority of those being infected, he added, are less severe.
The Provincial Infectious Disease Action and Control Council (PIDACC) chaired by Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson will convene on Aug. 17, to discuss threat of monkeypox, as well as rising numbers of COVID-19 and dengue cases in Negros Occidental.
The World Health Organization declared monkeypox on July 23 as a “public health emergency of international concern”.
Dengue related deaths in Negros Occidental also increased to 17 as cases rose to 3,268 during the period covered from January to Aug. 6 this year, Tumimbang said.*