TACLOBAN CITY – Eastern Visayas has 125 new recoveries from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), bringing the region’s cumulative total to 11,126 as of Saturday.
The number represents 92.98 percent of the region’s 11,966 confirmed cases since March, based on the latest case bulletin of the Department of Health (DOH).
The DOH attributed the region’s high recovery rate to the high percentage of asymptomatic or mild patients, which is 98.7 percent of the total. The rest are severe and critical cases.
Asymptomatic or mild cases are managed in local community isolation units and temporary treatment and monitoring facilities but transferred to a higher health care facility if further management is needed.
To date, the region has 699 active cases, while 141 patients have died due to complications, mostly senior citizens and persons with comorbidities, the DOH said.
Of the active cases, 120 are new infections – 52 in Leyte, 21 in Southern Leyte, 13 in Samar, and two in Eastern Samar.
The cities of Tacloban and Ormoc, have 15 and 17 new cases, respectively.
They are part of the 878 samples released by the three testing laboratories in the region – 512 from the Eastern Visayas Regional Covid-19 Testing Center and 294 from the Divine World Hospital Virology Laboratory, both in Tacloban, and 72 from the Ormoc Molecular Diagnostic Center.
The DOH disclosed that the region remains at high risk based on the assessment of the World Health Organization (WHO), with a 2.62-percent daily attack rate or less than three for every 100,000 population.
With the current situation, the regional health office reminded the public to remain vigilant and watch out for “super spreader” settings, such as venues where there is crowding, rooms with poor ventilation, and areas with many people talking and singing.
The health department also reiterated its information drive dubbed “BIDA Solusyon”, which promotes four key behaviors to reduce the possible transmission of the virus.
BIDA stands for Bawal walang mask (Not wearing a face mask is not allowed); I-sanitize ang mga kamay at iwas hawak sa mga bagay (Sanitize your hands and avoid touching surfaces); Dumistansya ng isang metro (Keep a one-meter distance from other people); and Alamin ang totoong impormasyon (Know the factual information). Philippine News Agency
