LAOAG CITY—Ilocos Norte province tallied 297 new COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, July 28, its highest recorded number of cases in a single day since the pandemic began, the provincial government said.
The province’s highest daily spike came as the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) placed Ilocos Norte under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from Aug. 1 to 15. MECQ is the second most restrictive quarantine classification.
Data showed the weekly average of cases in the province increased to 154.8 percent on Wednesday, compared to the 105.7 percent in the previous week.
The capital city of Laoag remains to have the highest number of COVID-19 cases at 929, followed by Batac City (315), and the towns of Bangui (211), Bacarra (180), Dingras (152), Sarrat (145), Pagudpud (127), San Nicolas (124), and Pasuquin (111).
Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc said during a press briefing Wednesday that there is a “strong possibility” that Laoag City would be under stricter curbs next week to contain a “major surge” in COVID-19 cases.
Ilocos Norte has recorded 7,348 active COVID-19 cases, including 2,718 active ones and 4,515 recoveries.