LUCENA CITY鈥撯�揊or the second time this month, Quezon recorded only one new case of COVID-19 on Thursday amid the continuous drop in the number of active infections in the province.
In its 5 p.m. bulletin on Thursday, the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) said it logged a new COVID-19 patient in Lucena City, the province鈥檚 capital.
The IPHO also listed two recoveries from Lucena and the island town of Quezon. There were no new deaths.
On March 5, the IPHO also recorded one case, also in Lucena.
The province has fewer cases of COVID-19, which dropped to 44 on Thursday from 1,805 on Jan. 21.
Data showed that the number of municipalities with active virus carriers dropped to 15 out of 41, with 26 towns already COVID-19-free.
Quezon remains under Alert Level 2 until March 15.
On Thursday, the independent pandemic monitoring group OCTA Research classified Quezon as 鈥渧ery low risk鈥� for virus transmission.
Last week, Quezon Gov. Danilo Suarez issued Memorandum Order No. 98 to make the province qualify for the most lenient Alert Level 1 status in the next listing of community quarantine levels.
Suarez said his order aimed 鈥渢o slowly achieve the 鈥榥ew normal鈥� state to get back from the crisis brought about by this pandemic鈥�.
He has expressed optimism that the province would meet the requirements before the next listing of quarantine levels.
鈥淲e have enough vaccines and we have another refrigerated van,鈥� Suarez said.
Last week, Quezon Power Philippines Limited, owner/operator of a power plant based in Mauban town, donated a new refrigerated van to transport the vaccines.
Suarez called on all residents who have yet to be inoculated to get their primary series of a vaccine against COVID-19. INQ