THE remaining active coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in Central Visayas have now breached the 4,000 mark.
This after 257 new cases were recorded on Thursday, June 3, 2021 along with 135 additional Covid-19 recoveries.
Department of Health (DOH) 7 spokesperson Mary Jean Loreche said majority or 1,820 of the 4,260 total active Covid-19 cases in the region were recorded in Negros Oriental.
“Negros (Oriental) has a CCUR (critical care utilization rate) in the critical level for its ICU, but we need to also understand that their allocated beds correspond also to the level 3 hospital in the area,” she told SunStar Cebu in a text message.
The term CCUR refers to the number of regular and intensive care unit (ICU) beds dedicated to Covid-19 patients, isolation beds and ventilators in use in various health facilities.
She said of the 18 ICU beds in Negros Oriental, 16 were already occupied, while of the 71 dedicated regular Covid beds, only four remained vacant as of Thursday.
Of the 167 isolation beds intended for Covid patients in the province, 93 were already also occupied.
Loreche said it might be difficult to increase the number of ICU beds in Negros Oriental as the province only has one level three hospital and two level 2 hospitals.
However, measures could still be undertaken to improve the Province’s situation, Loreche said.
EOC
The measures will be more on the setting up of an emergency operations center (EOC) for aggressive contact tracing, testing, extraction, isolation and treatment, Loreche said.
This is in addition to Negros Oriental’s enforcement and adherence to minimum public health measures.
She said the Province has been guided on how to set up its own EOC.
To further decongest hospitals, Loreche said, mild and asymptomatic cases must be admitted to the temporary treatment and monitoring facilities so that only moderate and severe patients may be admitted in hospitals.
As of Wednesday, June 2, Bohol recorded the second highest number of active cases in the region at 1,148, followed by Cebu City with 528, Cebu Province with 442, Lapu-Lapu City with 159, Mandaue City with 157, and Siquijor with six active cases.
Loreche said the CCUR in Cebu still stands at 13.2 percent, much within the threshold of 60 percent.
As of Thursday, 63,577 healthcare workers, 12,191 senior citizens, and 3,255 persons with comorbidities have already been fully vaccinated in the region.
The DOH continues to encourage the eligible population to have themselves pre-listed for vaccination against the Covid-19.