FILE / STOCK
LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte — Fewer new COVID-19 cases were tallied in the Ilocos region from Dec. 11 to 17, compared with the previous week, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday, Dec. 20.
At least 270 new cases were reported during that period, which brought the daily average number of cases to 39, or 28.4 percent lower than the cases reported between Dec. 4 to 10.
Out of the new cases, no new severe or critical cases were reported, the DOH said.
The health department, meanwhile, verified five deaths caused by the virus last week.
In a separate bulletin on Tuesday, independent pandemic monitor OCTA Research said two provinces in the region were among the areas that logged the most new COVID-19 cases in the country.
Ilocos Sur and La Union each logged 11 new COVID-19 cases, data from OCTA showed.
Health facilities catering to COVID-19 patients in the region remained operating at a “safe” level, with 40 of the 219 intensive care unit (ICU) beds set aside for suspect, probable, and confirmed cases occupied.
According to the DOH, 250 of the 1,313 non-ICU beds were also occupied.
Out of the total patients currently being treated in health facilities, at least 10 were hospitalized as “confirmed severe and critical admissions,” according to the DOH.