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70 new COVID-19 cases in Iligan City push tally to 3,173


ILIGAN CITY - Seventy new COVID-19 cases in Iligan City drove the total number of coronavirus infections to 3,173 as of Tuesday.

This is the highest number of new COVID-19 cases in a day reported in the city in the month of August.

Of this number, 322 are active — 131 are admitted in hospitals and 191 are in isolation facilities, data from the Iligan Emergency Operations Center (EOC) showed.

Eight new recoveries were reported, thus the total recoveries reached 2,640.

The death toll climbed to 211 after four new deaths were recorded.

Iligan EOC health cluster manager Dr. Belinda Lim, who is also a member of the local Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), on Monday said the Delta variant has been detected locally, with the carrier identified as someone who arrived from Manila.

The index case reportedly passed on the Delta variant to close contacts. They are currently admitted at a hospital.

The local IATF said they asked the national IATF for stricter quarantine protocols to prevent the further transmission of COVID-19.

Meanwhile they appealed to residents to avoid leaving their homes if their trips are not essential.

Some private hospitals have already placed signs outside their entrances saying they already reached full capacity.

Iligan City was placed under Alert Level 3 (moderate to critical risk with bed occupancy rate lower than 70%) by the Department of Health early this month.

The city is under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) until August 31. Under IATF guidelines, MGCQ is the transition phase between general community quarantine and new normal. Under MGCQ, temporary measures such as limiting movement and transportation, regulation of operating industries are relaxed and presence of uniformed personnel becomes less necessary.

Due to the threat of the Delta variant, however, the city issued directives such as curfew from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. and a liquor ban which took effect starting August 10. —Merlyn Manos/KG, GMA News