By Rey Anthony Chiu, PIA Bohol | 12:06 PM June 12, 2021
Two more deaths add up to the number of coronavirus disease (Covid) casualties this week in Bohol, bringing the total deaths since May 26, 2020 when the first Covid death case was recorded in the province.
The two recent deaths bring the total deaths to 63, a year and a month after Bohol closed its borders to curb the spread of the viral disease that has closed schools and several establishments since 2020.
The recent deaths also bring the death count in June to 8, a figure that is already high considering that the first year recorded a monthly average of mortality cases of 1.9 in a month.
From March 16 2020 to March 15 2021, Bohol recorded 23 mortality cases, which sums up to a 1.9 monthly average of death cases.
In 2021 however, beginning April, cases began to wriggle out of control, despite the start of the national vaccination roll-out here which started May 6.
In April 2021 for example, the month ended with 13 mortality cases, which was also coupled with the problem of vaccine refusal, even by community influencers.
By May 2021, the death cases continued to increase with the month ending with 15 deaths and the local provincial vaccine operations center reporting they are starting to give priority groups A2 their first jabs.
This early in June, Bohol has already seen 8 deaths, in time when the National Vaccine Operation Center reports indicate that they are starting the inoculations for those individuals in basic essential sectors, in a bid to increase Covid-resistance to business operators and boost consumer confidence.
Despite vaccine reluctance issues, in Bohol, local government officials have tried desperately to get personal information available to those who refuse to be vaccinated, if only to convince them to get full protection against the virus.
Covi active cases in
Bohol breaches 1,000
For the first time after over a year, the total active Covid-19 cases in Bohol breached the 1000 daily mark, after health authorities reported 97 new cases in a day, June 11, 2021.
The 97 new cases could also be the biggest number of new cases in a day.
According to the Daily COVID Tracking Report by the Bohol Inter Agency Task Force on the management of Emerging Infectious Disease, the 93 new cases came after the 507 swab samples gave out a high positivity rate of 19.13%.
In the same report, of the over a thousand active cases, 1,001 of these are from local residents who averred that they had no history of travel outside Bohol.
“They may have apparently contracted the disease from mingling with other people who may have been exposed or are carrying the virus but are asymptomatic,” health observers assumed.
On the same day, June 11, deaths by COVID-19 also increased with the day’s reported two more cases.
The two deaths bring the total COVID deaths in June to 8, in the beginning eleven days of the month.
The days report also elevates the cumulative total of confirmed COVID cases in Bohol to 4,906, from a total of 65,991 swab samples processed for traces of the virus in the patient’s body, taken from since March 2020.
Tagbilaran City, the most populous and the only city in Bohol, owned up the largest new cases from the day at 36, followed by 11 Corella residents.
The BIATF report, which is contained in an infographic, also showed that Tagbilaran City has the most number of COVID cases at 311.
The same visual report showed that most of the cases in Bohol are thickest in concentration in towns near Tagbilaran.
Dauis, a town less than five kilometers from Tagbilaran has 49 cases, Baclayon, at less than 10 kilometers from the city, has 22 cases.
Corella, 10 kilometers on Tagbilaran City’s east has 28 COVID cases, while Cortes, on the city’s northeast records 38 COVID cases.
Towns closer to Tagbilaran with high cases include Panglao at 28, Balilihan at 42, Antequera at 42, Maribojoc at 34, Catigbian at 24 and Sevilla at 29.
That day also, the BIATF report showed 20 frontline workers in the health and medical field affected by the fatal disease. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)
This latest Covid-19 report of Bohol shows that the provincial government’s efforts to contain the virus are failing, pointing at the wrong direction. Most of the efforts are aimed at preventing the entry of the virus to Bohol through the returning Boholanos and tourists, yet only 0.7% of the Covid-19 cases is caused by returning Boholanos. The data shows that 99.3% of the infections are locally transmitted, meaning the government in Bohol is complacent at enforcing the Covid-19 protocols such as masking and physical distancing among its local population. So instead of being so strict at preventing tourists and returning Boholanos from visiting Bohol, why not allow them to come and visit the island to improve the local economy? These people are not the cause of the spread; it’s the complacency of the local population. If the provincial government wants to contain the virus and improve the local economy, then it needs to refocus its efforts by enforcing the protocols among its local population and allowing Covid-19 negative Boholanos and tourists to visit the island.