Bulacan city nears ‘flattening of curve’ as infections surge to 3,100 patients

CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE –– The behavior of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in this city suggests that it will soon experience a “flattening of the curve,” although the number of infections throughout Bulacan province surged to 3,100 patients as of Thursday, Sept. 3.

San Jose del Monte health officer Betzaida Banaag said the number of city residents who have healed from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to rise, while the number of active cases and fatalities have started to plunge. This means that the rate of infection may have slowed down to manageable levels for the city’s health system, or a flattened curve in an infection chart.

Records show that 71 percent (or 661) of 926 cases recorded in the city since the start of the pandemic have recovered from the virus, while 24 percent (224) is classified as active, receiving treatment. Only 5 percent (41) is the fatalities.

One of San Jose del Monte’s effective strategies during the quarantine is called a “zoning containment,” where the movement of isolated residents is strictly monitored, and no one is allowed outside the locked-down zones, Banaag said.

This city’s 926 cases is a third of the total number of cases in the province.

San Jose Del Monte, however, recorded 194 new cases, which raised the number of Bulacan’s total cases from 2,906 to 3,110 since March. Almost half of these patients or 1,474 have recovered. The province has 3,033 suspected infections and 72 deaths.

The spike in Bulacan’s COVID-19 transmissions has taxed medical facilities. About 85 to 90 percent of hospital beds in Bulacan has been occupied by active patients, said Dr. Protacio Bajao, head of the Bulacan Infection Control Center.

LZB