Siquijor remains COVID-free as CV count breaches 5,000-mark

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CEBU CITY, Philippines – The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Central Visayas has breached the 5,000-mark, recent data from the government here showed.

Report from the region’s Department of Health (DOH- 7) released on Thursday, June 18, 2020, stated that they have documented a total of 5,566 patients confirmed to have the disease as of June 16.

Of these, 1, 637 have already recovered while 3,799 others are still being monitored and considered as “active cases.” DOH -7 also reported 130 COVID-19 patients who already passed away.

Majority of the COVID-19 cases in Central Visayas, or 4,382 out of the 5,566, are reported in Cebu City, the capital of Cebu province with a population of over 1 million.

It was followed by Cebu province with 489, Mandaue City with 449, and Lapu-Lapu City with 211. Other provinces in the region with COVID-19 are Negros Oriental with 23 and Bohol with 12.

Siquijor is the only island-province that remained free from any documented COVID-19 case.

The region has a total of three molecular laboratories certified to carry out coronavirus tests, and all are located in Cebu.

These are found in Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center and DOH – 7’s compound in Cebu City, and Allegiant Regional Care Hospital in Lapu-Lapu City.

Healthcare workers

DOH-7 on June 17 also reported that 138 healthcare workers in the region were confirmed to have been afflicted with the disease.

A total of 138 healthcare workers in Central Visayas were found out to have COVID-19, and 37 of these are nurses.

27 utility workers, 17 doctors, 15 administrative staff, 13 employees of DOH – 7, 10 nursing attendants, nine midwives, four medical technologists, three psychologists, and three social workers also comprised the count.

Except for the cities of Cebu and Talisay, the entire Central Visayas is placed under General Community Quarantine. /bmjo

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