DOH: COVID-19 cases in Ilocos on downward trend

By John Michael Mugas 

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte—The number of COVID-19 cases reported in the Ilocos region continued to be downward between Jan. 22 and 28, with 29 individuals still infected with the disease, according to the regional Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, Jan. 30.
    In its weekly bulletin, the regional DOH said the average COVID-19 count logged during the period was 49.1 percent lower than the cases reported on Jan. 15 to 21.
    Of the new cases, none were tagged as severe and critical cases.
    The regional DOH confirmed that at least six individuals died from the virus last week.
    Health facilities catering to COVID-19 patients in the region remained operating at a “safe” level, with 21 out of the 194 intensive care unit (ICU) beds set aside for suspect, probable, and confirmed cases occupied.
The DOH said 102 of the 1,162 non-ICU beds were also occupied.
    Among the 3.8 million fully vaccinated individuals in the region, at least 39 percent, or 1.4 million, had received their first booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the DOH.