By Joseph B.A. Marzan
Data from the Iloilo City Health Office (ICHO) as of July 24, 2021 indicated that the number of new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Iloilo City was lower compared to June.
ICHO data showed that the city added 2,226 new COVID-19 cases from July 1 to 24, which is 13.92 percent less than the number of cases from June 1 to 24 at 2,586.
The daily average of new cases for July is 93 per day, 13.89 percent less than the average in June (108 cases per day).
Out of the new cases this month, 74.96 percent (1,742) were local transmissions, 20.83 percent (484) were index cases, 2.37 percent (55) were returning residents, 1.03 percent (24) were Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APOR), and 0.82 percent were Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROF).
ICHO also confirmed 44 new cases as of 12 p.m. of July 25.
VACCINATION AND ASSISTANCE
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas met with the city’s COVID-19 Team and city hospitals’ representatives last Friday, July 23, to prepare for a possible entry or surge of the Delta variant.
The Delta variant (B.1.617.2), first detected in India, is considered as one of the most infectious strains of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus.
As of July 22, the Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed 64 cases of the Delta variant in the country, on top of the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Database’s (GISAID) report that cited 12 cases.
As a result of the meeting, the city will seek to stock up on additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), increase testing through the assistance of the DOH in providing more test kits, and ramp up vaccination through request of more additional vaccines to the city.
The city government, according to the mayor, currently stores COVID-19 vaccines made by Janssen Pharmaceutica (Belgium/United States) and AstraZeneca (United Kingdom/Sweden).
Announcements made by the city government over social media also indicated that COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and BioNTech (United States/Germany), Moderna (United States), and Sinovac (China) are also being currently used for jabs.
Treñas confirmed that they have received partial 17,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s AZD1222 vaccine in July, with another unnumbered batch arriving on August 28. There was no information as to other batches arriving in September nor the rest of the year.
Another vaccine order made by the city, 160,000 doses of Covovax made by Novavax (United States), is set to be delivered in September.
The two-dose Covovax showed up to 89 percent efficacy rate in its phase three trials in the United Kingdom, but only up to 55 percent efficacy against the Beta (B.1.351) variant of COVID-19, according to a CNBC report.
The mayor also revealed that Enrique Razon, majority owner of the city’s power provider MORE Electric and Power Corporation, will also donate 5,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The city government will also seek assistance from “vaccine czar” Carlito Galvez Jr, Presidential Assistant to the Visayas Michael Dino, and a senator close to the president.
Hospitals have been told to prepare because of the “mysterious” nature of the Delta variant, and additional quarantine facilities are being mulled for the city to take in mild and moderate positive cases.
The mayor also publicly requested mild and moderate cases to have themselves managed in their district and provincial hospitals and not to be sent to Iloilo City. Only severe cases will be admitted to the city to avoid filling up city hospitals.
Treñas was also mum as to the dues of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to city hospitals, a contest from previous months when he publicly expressed anger against the state-run insurance company as to its COVID-related accountabilities.
“We have to understand that there are some other patients who don’t have COVID but need to be hospitalized. So we have to make sure that there are places for them. With the variant, we really have to make do. The lives of the people are more important right now than the dues of PhilHealth,” Treñas said in a radio interview.
A senator also called the mayor on Friday evening to inform him that the national government has earmarked P4 billion in assistance to areas under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).
This includes the city and province of Iloilo, Cagayan De Oro City, and Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental.
Treñas said he does not know as to when the financial assistance would be rolled out, he will coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for a swift rollout.
