Ilocos Norte logs 13 new cases of Delta variant

The central commercial district of Ilocos Norte’s capital city of Laoag is seen empty on Aug. 29, the fourth Sunday when the “No Movement Day” was enforced as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Photo courtesy of Laoag City government)

LAOAG CITY — The province of Ilocos Norte has recorded at least 13 new cases of the more transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) in the Ilocos region said on Thursday, Sept. 2.

This brought to 32 the total number of residents who have been infected with the virus strain first detected in India, according to Dr. Rheuel C. Bobis, COVID-19 focal person of the DOH, during a press briefing.

One additional case of the COVID-19 Alpha (United Kingdom) variant was also recorded in the province, said Bobis.

From Aug. 22 to 28, the province saw a 19.7-percentage decrease in the weekly COVID-19 cases, added Bobis.

As of Wednesday, Ilocos Norte recorded a total of 15,479 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic struck last year, including 3,390 active cases, 11,877 recoveries, and 212 deaths.

At least 48 percent of the 312 beds devoted to COVID-19 patients had been occupied as of Sept. 1, which is still considered a “safe” level, according to Bobis.

The intensive care unit (ICU) beds in Ilocos Norte were already 47-percent occupied, while the utilization rate for mechanical ventilators is at 35 percent, both of which are considered at “safe” levels, said Bobis.

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