Cebu nears 1,000 mark in COVID-19 cases
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) illustration | STOCK PHOTO
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Cebu on Saturday recorded a total of 985 confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, with the bulk still reported in Cebu City.
The data included the 124 new cases that were reported by the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH – 7) on the same day.
Of the number, 119 were from Cebu City while one was an inmate from Mandaue City Jail. This brings the total confirmed cases in Cebu City and Mandaue City to 875 and 29 respectively.
The other cases were reported in other parts of the province.
The 39-year-old inmate and an 80-year-old female resident from Cebu province succumbed to COVID-19 on April 30, 2020. Both were admitted to the hospital after they manifested severe acute respiratory infection (SARI).
DOH – 7 also confirmed findings that four more repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Cebu have been afflicted with the disease.
Overall, Central Visayas now has 990 the confirmed cases of the infection with 29 recoveries and 15 deaths.
Changes in Numbers
Meanwhile, DOH – 7 said that all data and information relayed to their office are continually being validated, paving way for changes in the agency’s reporting. This means that the data that they release to the public is still subject to changes.
“The necessary changes in the numbers are done after the data is further validated and errors are detected. We ask for your patience as we sort the numbers and information as they become available,” Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH – 7 director, stated in a press release.
Among the updates that were modified pertains to the repatriated overseas workers all of whom are still under quarantine in some Cebu City-based hotels.
As of May 2, a total of 17 OFWs, not 18, have been confirmed positive for COVID-19. The number was reduced after DOH – 7 found that the inmate from Mandaue City Jail was erroneously tagged as an OFW.
They also clarified that only three, not five, healthcare workers in Cebu have tested positive of the virus.
DOH – 7 has created a separate classification for health workers reported with COVID-19.
“We felt the need to highlight this group so that we can monitor the trend and see the effectiveness of our hospitals’ infection control and prevention measures,” Bernadas explained.
“This group also needs to be separated since the contact tracing activities will be primarily done among hospital staff and interventions will be focused in the hospital setting,” he added. / dcb
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