SARS‐CoV‐2, the virus that causes COVID-19, continues to circulate and infect people in the province and city of Iloilo.
From January 1 to May 20 this year, the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) recorded 295 cases of COVID-19.
According to IPHO head Dr. Maria Socorro Quinion, there is nothing to worry about as most of the cases are “mild.”
But she urged the public not to be complacent and still practice health measures against the highly infectious disease.
“We should observe cough and sneeze etiquette, wear masks, and practice frequent hand washing with soap and water,” Quinion said.
“Avoid crowded and poorly ventilated places, especially for the immunocompromised, senior citizens, and unvaccinated,” she added.
In Iloilo City, health facilities have been directed to intensify their infection and prevention control measures to limit local transmission among healthcare workers and ensure hospitals are prepared for potential surges in cases.
“We are closely monitoring the cases because of the spike of COVID-19 infections in other countries like Singapore because of the [new variants of COVID-19],” said Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna of the City Health Office.
The city logged 98 cases from Jan. 1 to May 27.
Early this week, the government placed the country’s airports and seaports on heightened alert to thoroughly screen travelers coming from countries with reported cases of the FLiRT variants of COVID-19.
FLiRT is a name given to a new group of COVID variants, KP.2 and KP.3, which have been detected in Singapore, Thailand, India, China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and 14 countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom.IMT
