Cebu City breaches 100 mark for COVID-19 deaths in half a month

Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, city’s Emergency Operation’s Center head, says the casualties due to COVID-19 in the city has reached 106 this month. | (File photo) Morexette Marie B. Erram

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City has breached the 100-mark for casualties of the COVID-19 in only half a month in August 2021.

Councilor Joel Garganera, deputy chief implementor of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said that there were already 106 deaths recorded from August 1 to 14 or a span of half a month.

“Today’s data, we breached the 100 mark for this month’s mortality…106 for August,” said the councilor.

This is the first time since July 2020 that the city breached the 100-mark for casualties more than a year after the first surge of cases was recorded here.

The EOC expects the deaths to rise even higher if the daily reports continue to log at least 10 per day. In August 2021, the average daily death report is between 15 to 20 per day.

The age group for these deaths are more varied than that of last year with casualties ranging from the age group of minors below ten years old to senior citizens above 65 years old.

Garganera already said in previous statements that the deaths would continue to increase as long as the hospitals remain overwhelmed.

As of August 14, 2021, the hospital occupancy rate has reached 77.5 percent, with at least five hospitals already at a critical rate of 80 percent occupancy.

The number of COVID-19 cases is also on the rise with the city currently have 3,913 active cases with 308 of these newly recorded on August 14.

The case doubling time, or the rate of how fast the number of cases doubles, is at 24.92 days, while the mortality doubling time is at 34.74 days.

Among the new cases recorded, more than 50 percent are symptomatic and majority reported transmission outside their homes with a prevalence in workplaces, hospitals, markets, and transportations.

Most newly recorded cases are fresh cases as well at 52.19 percent as compared to close contacts at 35.02 percent.

Acting Mayor Michael Rama is set to release an Executive Order tomorrow, August 15, 2021, to form a task force that would ensure the implementation of stringent measures to reduce the transmission of the virus.

The city government has also intensified monitoring in the transportation sector, establishments, and public spaces to reduce the transmission.

Rama urged the public especially households to be responsible for each members’ health and conduct parental supervised lockdowns at home.

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