Governor notes rise in daily cases in Quezon, calls for review of protocols

LUCENA CITY—Quezon Gov. Danilo Suarez sought a review of current measures being implemented in the province which appeared to be ineffective as COVID-19 cases continued to rise.

Suarez addressed his concerns to the local Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and mayors.

“The issue is a matter of life and death,” he said in a teleconference with local IATF officials and mayors.

“Let us all contribute our ideas and propose possible solutions for what seems like an interminable crisis,” the governor said.

On Wednesday morning (July 15), the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) recorded a total of 213 COVID-19 cases in Quezon since the pandemic broke out.

Suarez recalled that during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period at the onset of the pandemic, the average COVID-19 cases in the province was only one to two per day.

“But based on the data from July 1 to 13, it indicated that this figure has increased from three to four positive cases a day,” Suarez said.

As of Wednesday, at least 165 COVID-19 patients have already recovered, while 13 others died.

Of 41 municipalities in the province, only 12 remain COVID-19-free. The province, however, is still the one with the lowest number of cases in the Calabarzon region.

Three towns in the province have also wiped their COVID-19 slate clean with the recovery of patients and death of another one.

The QPIO reported that the last two COVID-19 patients in Catanauan, with 12 recorded cases, have recovered.

The lone infected person in neighboring Macalelon town has likewise recovered.

The only COVID-19 patient, 71-year-old male, in Padre Burgos town, which was recorded on Monday, died the next day.

On Wednesday, Lucena City recorded three new COVID-19 cases. The capital of the province logged 83 cases but 72 of them had recovered.

Tayabas City has two more new cases and the towns of Agdangan, Tiaong and Lucban with one each.

TSB