Hospital worker among 20 new COVID cases in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines — Twenty more COVID-19 cases were recorded in Cebu yesterday, among them a hospital worker from Talisay City, but Cebu City yielded yet again most of the new cases.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, in her online presser yesterday, said three cases were reported in the jurisdiction of the provincial government: one in Minglanilla town and two in Talisay City.

She also reported two cases in Mandaue City, but according to Atty. John Eddu Ibañez, chief of staff of Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, these two cases were repeat tests on previously declared positive patients.

This, therefore, means that Mandaue did not log any new case yesterday.

Talisay

Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas, in his Facebook post, said that one of the two new cases in his city is a health worker while the other one is also a resident of the city.

Gullas said that the 38-year-old female health worker works at the Visayas Community Medical Center in Cebu City and a resident of Barangay San Isidro, Talisay. She was swabbed at the hospital last May 11 and results came out yesterday.

“We have already contact traced. She has isolated herself from her family and is currently not staying San Isidro now, iya ra pamilya naa didto karon. We will swab them as soon as possible,” the mayor’s post read.

The health worker, Gullas said, is currently living in another house and has already been in close coordination with city health authorities.

Tanke Concern

The other patient, meanwhile, is a 37-year-old female resident from Sitio Magay, Barangay Tanke. She was swabbed on May 11 at the Talisay District Hospital due to cough and runny nose and results came out yesterday. She is now in an isolation facility.

“Actually, I am very concerned with where she is from. She comes from Magay, Tanke, Talisay. Tanan balay diri sikit gyud kaayo. This is a very difficult situation and I am very concerned regarding this development. We are even having difficulty regarding what area to close down kay daghan  kaayo lutsanan ang Magay,” Gullas said.

 He added that their personnel and the police with PPE were deployed in the area to determine the area to be locked down pending test results of close contacts.

“If the results come out positive, we will lock down a bigger area and even maybe the whole barangay if test results will show ni-spread na gyud ni sa Barangay Tanke,” the mayor said.

The second patient will be transferred to a facility, while her family will be also swabbed as soon as possible.

Gullas further said that he already sent a letter to the Regional IATF asking for an appeal that Talisay remain under an ECQ until the end of the month.

This follows the IATF directive that approved that the cities and municipalities under the province of Cebu will now be under a general quarantine.

Statistics

Currently, there are 57 cases confirmed in Cebu broken down as 37 from the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center and 20 spread among the component cities and municipalities.

Cebu City has 1,716 cases, Lapu-Lapu City has 48, and Mandaue City, 109.

In Cebu’s district hospitals and provincial hospitals, there were nine new admitted cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) and one death. A total of 12 Influenza Like Illnesses (ILI) cases were also reported, 10 of which were sent home while two were admitted.

Meanwhile, 26 ILIs and 3,931 persons under monitoring (PUMs) were reported in the province's respective rural health units.   JMD (FREEMAN)