CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two infants, both nine months old, were among the 22 new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) logged in Cebu City on Wednesday, April 15, 2020.
Based on the data of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7), patients CV 64-CC and CV 65-CC are a male and a female, respectively.
DOH-7, however, has not released a statement whether the two young victims battling the virus are relatives or reside in the same community.
Read more: Cebu City records 23 new cases of COVID-19
Earlier, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella announced that there were 23 new patients who tested postive of COVID-19 in the city.
But Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and the DOH clarified in a later press conference and press statement that there were only 22 cases of COVID-19 in the city because one of the positive results was a repeat test of patient CV 15-CC.
Of the new cases, 21 were from Sitio Zapatera in Barangay Luz, which was under a lockdown due to the number of cases there that had now totaled to 31, said Labella
With this development, the number of cases in Cebu City has climbed to 53 with 5 deaths and 15 recoveries.
Meanwhile, the 23rd new case of COVID-19 in Cebu is that of a 73-year-old man from Mandaue City.
The City’s Public Information Office said the patient was from Barangay Casuntingan but had been admitted at a hospital in Cebu City.
The 22 new cases in Cebu now bring the total number of cases in the region to 68 with 8 deaths and 23 recoveries.
Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH-7 regional director, said the spike in the number of cases in the city was a result of the “effective contact tracing activities and rapid release of results” from the subnational laboratory of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center subnational laborartory (VSMMC SNL).
Bernadas also reiterated calls for the public to practice proper hygiene and to stay home in order to contain the virus.
“The close proximity of living arrangements and the prolonged time of interaction are factors that will facilitate the spread of the infection,” Bernadas said in the DOH-7 official statement.
The health official also urged the public to bear “with patients and understanding” the inconveniences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the efforts to contain the it.| dbs