Mandaue’s EOC chief reports ‘slight’ drop in COVID-19 positivity rate

The Mandaue City Isolation Unit (MCIU) located inside the Mandaue City Central School. | CDND File photo

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines- From having close to a hundred  cases per day during the early part of August, Mandaue City’s average number of daily cases dropped to around 85 during the second half of the month, says lawyer August Lizer Malate, head of the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

With this, the city’s positivity rate also dropped from 23 percent to 20 percent, he added.

Malate said that while the city’s total number of active cases remains relatively high, its positivity rate is now beginning to stabilize.

Data released by the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) show that the city had a total of 1, 868 active cases as of Tuesday, August 31.

The EOC chief has expressed confidence that with the continued cooperation of the Mandauehanons, the city’s positivity rate will continue  a downtrend in the coming days.

Mandaue City and its neighbors, the highly urbanized cities of Cebu and Lapu-Lapu, will remain under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) until September 7.

READ: MECQ extended in Cebu tri-cities until Sept. 7

Malate is asking the public to continue to cooperate with their city officials and observe health and safety protocols.

And while they do this, their city officials will also continue to prepare for another possible spike in the infection that may result from the presence of the more contagious Delta variant.

Meanwhile, Malate reported that the fourth Mandaue City resident, who was infected with the COVID-19 Delta variant,  has already recovered from the infection.

DOH-7, on Monday, reported 26 new cases of the Delta variant, one of whom was from Mandaue City.  The data was based on the outcome of tests made on these patients in July yet.

The city’s three other Delta cases that were confirmed in July have earlier recovered from their infection./ dcb