By Emme Rose Santiagudo
The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections in Western Visayas breached the 200-mark as six new confirmed cases, who are all repatriates, were reported on Tuesday.
In its online press briefing, the Department of Health-Center for Health Development Western Visayas (DOH-CHD 6) said the new cases are in Negros Occidental, Bacolod City, and Iloilo province.
Dr. Ma. Sophia Pulmones, head of the Local Health Support Division of DOH-CHD 6 said the new patients included five repatriated locally stranded individuals (LSIs):
-a 44-year-old from Binalbagan, Negros (WV Patient No. 198);
-a 24-year-old male from San Carlos, Negros Occidental (WV Patient No.199);
-a 50-year-old from Calatrava, Negros Occidental (WV Patient No. 200);
-a 34-year-old male from La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, and
-a 26-year-old male from Bacolod City (WV Patient No. 203).
“Majority of the LSIs came from Cebu. Currently, they are all asymptomatic and under facility quarantine,” Pulmones said on Tuesday.
Cebu City reverted to Enhanced Community Quarantine what with the surge in COVID-19 cases lately. It is now the new epicenter of the pandemic in the Philippines.
In a recorded address Monday evening, President Rodrigo Duterte even called Cebuanos as “hard-headed” for not following quarantine protocols.
The sixth new case is a 30-year-old male repatriated Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) from the town of Bingawan, Iloilo (WV Patient No. 202). According to
Pulmones, he is asymptomatic and under facility quarantine.
DOH-CHD 6 also logged five new recoveries involving repatriated OFWs from Kalibo, Aklan, a 48-year-old male (WV Patient No. 126); a 46-year-old female from City Proper, Iloilo City (WV Patient No. 145); a 48-year-old male from Tapaz, Capiz (WV Patient No. 146); and a locally stranded individual from Pavia, Iloilo who is a 23-year-old female (WV Patient No. 147).
Region 6 now has 203 COVID-19 cases with 74 active cases, 118 recoveries, and 11 deaths, as of Tuesday.
For the provinces and highly urbanized cities (HUCs) in Western Visayas, only Iloilo City and Iloilo province has active cases.
“lloilo province has two active cases with 17 recoveries and four deaths while Iloilo City has one remaining active case with 18 recoveries and one death. All the indigenous cases in other areas in the region have either recovered or died,” Pulmones said.
However, infected OFW repatriates in the region now total 120, accounting for more than half of the total registered cases in the region.
Out of the 120 infected repatriates, 48 were already discharged with negative confirmatory results, 63 are under facility quarantine, two are under home quarantine, six are admitted in a health facility, and one expired.
On Tuesday, 395 LSIs arrived in Iloilo City onboard the Philippine Navy ship BRP Davao del Sur which left Manila Monday evening.
It also transported 3,000 boxes of personal protection equipment and medical supplies for Iloilo and Cebu.
The breakdown of LSIs per province is:
Antique-4
Aklan-3
Bacolod-9
Capiz-17
Guimaras-6
Iloilo City-74
Iloilo Province-278
Negros Occidental-2
Unknown Address-2
