Ilocos Norte logs 61 new COVID-19 cases

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union––Ilocos Norte recorded 61 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, Jan. 7, the highest one-day total in the province in the last three months, data from the provincial government said.

Most of the new cases have been traced to the capital city of Laoag (23 infections), followed by Batac City (17), and the towns of Paoay (6), Piddig (4), and Bangui (3).

One case each was recorded in Bacarra, Banna, Currimao, Dingras, San Nicolas, Sarrat, Vintar, and Solsona towns, the data show.

The new cases brought the active infections in the province to 136.

The provincial government’s COVID-19 tracker showed that the weekly average in the city had jumped to 18.1 from 1.4 in the last week.

The Department of Health said the province’s average daily attack rate as of Jan. 7 was 1.16 per 100,000 population.

Gov. Matthew Marcos Manotoc said Friday that the province would not close its borders to returning residents.

“Residents, of course, will be admitted because it’s their constitutional right to come home,” he said.

Non-residents or authorized persons outside their residences, who are unvaccinated, have been “discouraged” from entering the province and are subject to more stringent protocols, Manotoc said.

In Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Batac City, the primary COVID-19 referral center in the province, at least eight of its health workers were isolated after contracting the virus.

The hospital was treating six COVID-19 patients, while at least nine were admitted as suspect and probable cases, according to the hospital report Friday.

As curbs tightened in the province, the Bangui town government on Thursday barred the entry of unvaccinated individuals in its town hall.

Some business establishments, including Robinsons Mall in San Nicolas town, have also been looking for the vaccination cards of customers before they were allowed to enter.

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