LUCENA CITY –– The number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Quezon province has dropped by over 50 percent in February, records from the Integrated Provincial Health Office shows.
The new virus carriers last month totaled 342 cases compared to January with 696, the IPHO records show from its twice-a-day tally since March last year.
The province recorded 845 cases in December, 1,612 in November, and 1,717 in October.
The daily tally on the number of active virus carriers in the province also showed a notable declining trend.
On Feb. 28, the number of active cases in the province slid to only 174 from the highest daily tally of 1,119 recorded on Nov. 12 last year.
It dropped to 343 on Feb. 1, even after the holiday season, and further fell to 164 on Feb. 25, the lowest recorded daily tally of active cases.
Provincial authorities attributed the drop in COVID-19 cases to the strict compliance of the people to health protocols.
As of Feb. 28, Quezon recorded 7,256 Covid-19 cases and 6,825 recoveries.
The provincial COVID-19 death toll rose to 257, with the deaths of two patients in Lucena City and Calauag town on Feb. 28.
At least 65 of the total fatalities in the province were from Lucena.