In Cebu City: 15 vaccinees get COVID-19

CEBU, Philippines — At least 15 vaccinated individuals in Cebu City contracted COVID-19, according to the monitoring conducted by the city’s Emergency Operations Center, highlighting the need even for vaccinated persons to continue practicing health protocols.

The monitoring, which began on May 25, showed that there were 11 fully vaccinated individuals (those who got the first and second doses) and four partially vaccinated individuals (those who got the first dose) who got infected with coronavirus in Cebu City.

Of those who turned out positive from May 25 onwards, 184 said they had not yet been vaccinated, whether fully or partially.

Based on further inquiry, out of the 15 vaccinated people who tested positive for COVID-19, nine were asymptomatic or did not exhibit signs of the virus while six were showing mild symptoms.

EOC said that at the moment, there are no data available to show how vaccines prevent vaccinated positive individuals from spreading the virus to others.

EOC deputy chief implementer and City Councilor Joel Garganera reminded the public, even vaccinated individuals, to continue practicing the health protocols such as social distancing and wearing of facemasks.

“For these reasons, people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should still be taking precautions, like wearing a mask, social distancing and frequent handwashing,” he said.

Vaccines, as experts emphasized, are given for individuals to have stronger immune system against a particular disease but it does not mean one cannot catch the virus altogether. Health authorities have emphasized though that vaccinated individuals are unlikely to end up getting hospitalized because of COVID-19.

The latest data from the EOC showed that Cebu City has 408 active cases. Its latest positivity rate is only 2.32% after 26 of the 1,120 individuals tested turned out positive.

So far, 58 of the city’s 80 barangays have active cases.

The city’s critical care utilization rate, however, remains low at 18.1% or only 166 beds dedicated for COVID-19 patients occupied in both private and public hospitals here.

There are also 147 patients housed at barangay isolation centers, 42 at the Cebu City Quarantine Center, and 34 in different DOH-accredited hotels.

“Overall, atong data is very good, from daily positivity rate which is within the WHO threshold of 5%, our occupancy rate sa hospitals and TTMFs (BICS, CCQC and hotels). We are in the pink of health,” said Garganera.

No deaths have been noted so far in the first two days of June in Cebu City.

Meanwhile, DOH-7 records on June 2 showed that Cebu City still has 512 active cases with some of their recoveries still being verified together with the other LGUs.

Lapu-Lapu City, for its part, has 184 active cases, Mandaue has 174, and Cebu province has 426.

In the other areas in Central Visayas, Negros Oriental continues to see a rise in its active cases, which now stand at 1,501, including the 147 additional cases.

Bohol has 1,030 active cases and Siquijor has four.  — JMD (FREEMAN)