LUCENA CITY – Ten more individuals succumbed to COVID-19 in Quezon on Wednesday, despite the steady decline of new infections in the province.
The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO), in its Wednesday afternoon bulletin, reported that six of the fatalities were from Lucena City, two from Gumaca town, and one each from Tayabas City and Guinayangan town.
The COVID-19 death toll in Quezon province now sands at 1,403. Lucena City, the provincial capital, has the most number of fatalities at 188.
Quezon, now placed the less stringent Alert Level 2 until the end of the month, had been recording a downward trend of COVID active cases.
From 2,074 active infections on October 1, it is now down to 634 as of Wednesday.
The province’s highest tally was on September 21 this year with 2,570 active cases.
Five of the 41 municipalities in the province no longer have any recorded COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, the IPHO report showed.
The areas now considered COVID-19-free are the municipalities of San Andres and Pitogo and the island towns of Burdeos, Patnanungan and Quezon.
Those previously infected in these municipalities have either recovered or died,
Despite the drop in COVID-19 cases, all public and private cemeteries in the province will still be closed from October 29 to November 2, 2021, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“There is still a need to continue a relentless campaign to finally control, if not totally end, the pandemic,” Governor Danilo Suarez said in his Executive Order No. 46 issued on October 26.
However, all cemeteries and columbaria can continue to accept burial and cremation services during the same period, provided that health and safety protocols are strictly observed.
Suarez tasked local government units and police forces to strictly enforce public compliance to the order.
A total of 953,007 residents in the province have been vaccinated against COVID-19 as of October 24.
The IPHO reported that 317,741 residents are fully vaccinated and 635,266 others have received the first vaccine dose.