CAGAYAN de Oro City logged 314 Covid-19 cases for July this year and saw a double-digit daily average that month for the first time since the end of March, the City Health Office (CHO) said.
“Out of the 314 cases, about 217 are local index cases or 69 percent, 11 are returning Kagay-anons and 86 are (authorized persons outside residence) of whom most are health care personnel or 27 percent. That’s why we need to strengthen our health control systems for our health care workers,” said CHO medical officer Dr. Ted Yu Jr in yesterday’s Covid-19 response press briefing.
Despite the slight increase, Dr. Yu said the city’s health risk indicators remain within the low-risk level.
“Our average health care utilization/critical care utilization rate went down from 18 percent last July 24 to 15 percent on July 31. Our isolation and (intensive care unit) bed use are low risk while our average daily attack rate is at four percent,” Dr. Yu said.
Dr. Yu said the city’s two-week growth rate (2TWG) is expected to rise due to the double-digit daily cases but the total hospital bed utilization rate is still low at 11 percent.
Cagayan de Oro City allocated 332 beds in its private and public hospitals for Covid-19 patients.
“Less than 30 percent of total bed utilization rate is placed at low risk but let’s not be overconfident,” Dr. Yu said.
From an average of 21 cases weekly and one case daily last June 30, Cagayan de Oro City averaged 45 cases weekly and six cases daily last July 14 and ended with 57 cases weekly and 19 cases daily.
“Again we remind everyone to please observe the minimum public health protocols and to get vaccinated including their booster shots,” Dr. Yu said.
The CHO confirmed last week that those aged 18 years old and older can now secure their second booster shots provided that they took their first booster shot four months earlier.
CHO chief Dr. Rachel Dilla even said they plan to extend their vaccination to Saturdays in order to accommodate the employees who work on weekdays.
“Not all who got their two vaccine doses can secure protection (at the same rate). Hence why we need to augment our protection with booster shots so we can raise our amount of antibodies against Covid-19…later on, if our conditions improve, the virus will be treated the same way as influenza. We have to fight Covid-19 and we can do that by boosting our protection through vaccination,” she said. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)
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