ILOILO CITY—The Department of Health (DOH) here said there are now 25 barangays (villages) that have clustered cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Western Visayas region.
Dr. Renilyn Reyes, chief of DOH-6’s Public Health Project Development, said the 25 barangays have recorded two or more COVID-19 cases for two consecutive weeks.
Among all areas in the region, Bacolod City has the most number of clustered cases for the period of July 20 to August 3.
The 16 barangays in Bacolod City recorded 87 cases during the two-week period. The top three barangays were Estefania, Banagao, and Tangub with 17, 14, and nine cases of COVID-19 recorded respectively.
But Reyes clarified that Bacolod City is not the COVID-19 epicenter in Western Visayas.
“We can only say there is an increasing trend of cases,” Reyes said.
In Iloilo City, there were five barangays with clustered cases and a cumulative total of 31 cases.
Negros Occidental province had three barangays in three component cities with clustered cases and a cumulative total of six COVID-19 cases.
The province of Iloilo only has one barangay with a clustered case.
The DOH has not recorded any clustered cases for the period in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Guimaras provinces.