The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in Negros Oriental has ballooned from only 24 in early January to 2,000 at the end of the month.

Assistant Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Liland Estacion, in a virtual presser Monday afternoon, said the spike in cases is believed caused by the highly-transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19, although not a single case of the mutation has been confirmed through genome sequencing as of yet.

“Taking into account the characteristics behind this latest wave of infections, it is apparent that the Omicron variant is causing the fast transmission of the virus,” she said in mixed English and Cebuano.

The province had earlier sent 50 specimens for genome sequencing to the Philippine Genome Center but the results have not been sent to the province, she said.

Estacion believed the current numbers do not reflect the actual situation in the province, admitting that many people infected with Covid-19 but with mild to moderate symptoms have shied away from medical consults and/or reporting to health authorities for documentation.

She said test results from January 27-31 showed a total of 905 new infections.

“The number of positive results outweighs the number of recoveries this time, with only 340 latest recoveries,” she added.

As of January 31, the total caseload of Negros Oriental is 22,092 broken down into 19,787 recoveries, 1,623 active cases, and 682 mortalities.

Estacion appealed to the people to refrain from gathering as the Omicron spreads more rapidly compared to the other Covid-19 variants and to continue adhering to the basic health protocols.

Negros Oriental remains under Alert Level 3 until February 15. (PNA)