353 cases on Tuesday actually ‘a 9-day total’

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella yesterday clarified that the 353 new cases of coronavirus recorded in the city last Tuesday were actually cumulative results over a nine-day period ending June 30, 2020.

He made the clarification after the Cebu City Health Department and the Department of Health have reportedly reconciled their respective data.

In a virtual presser with Inter-Agency Task Force Cebu overseer Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Labella said that if one would divide the number of cases and days it took to take the samples, there would be an average of “just around 39 cases per day” from June 22-30.

In epidemiology, however, it is not the average number of cases over a period of time that determines severity but the doubling rate or the number of days it takes for the present number of cases to double.

Data on the current doubling rate of coronavirus cases in Cebu City were unavailable yesterday.

Also yesterday, another 107 new cases were recorded in the city. As the results were announced later in the day, Labella, or any official, was unable to explain whether these new cases covered the same June 22-30 period, overlapped with it, or from a different period altogether.

It is also unknown as of this writing how many days the 107 cases represent.

More recoveries

The city, nonetheless, recorded 174 additional recoveries yesterday, which is more than the new logged cases.

Total recoveries are now pegged at 2,897.

The recoveries were from Barangay Sambag 1, 51; Barangay Camputhaw, 31; Barangay Tinago, 18; Barangay Pardo, 12; Barangay Quiot, eight; Barangay Kalunasan, seven; Barangay Talamban, six; Barangay Cogon Pardo, six; Barangay Carreta, five; Barangay Sapangdaku, four; Barangay Mabolo, four; Barangay Basak San Nicolas, four; Barangay Inayawan, three, and Barangay Cogon Ramos, three.

Barangays Lahug and Tejero had two recoveries each, while Barangay Sta. Cruz, Kalubihan, Pari-an, Sawang Calero, and Sto. Niño had one recovery each.

Double-digit deaths

However, the city also recorded 11 fatalities yesterday, putting the city’s death toll at 180.

The CCHD reported that two deaths were each recorded from Barangays Guadalupe and Tejero while there was one death each from Barangays Ermita, Hipodromo, San Roque, Camputhaw, Sambag-1, Tinago, and Labangon.

New cases

As for the 107 new confirmed cases, they came from Barangay Basak San Nicolas, 14; Barangay Kinasang-an, eight; Barangay Labangon, seven; and Barangay Sambag 2, seven.

Other cases were from Barangays Guadalupe and Pardo, which got six cases each and Barangay Quiot with five.

Barangays Capitol Site, Inayawan, Lorega, Mabolo, and T. Padilla recorded four cases each; Barangays Bo. Luz, Calamba, Sambag 1, San Roque added three cases each; and Barangays Mambaling, San Nicolas Proper, Tejero, Tinago and Tisa recorded two cases each.

Finally, Barangays Apas, Basak Pardo, Bonbon, Bulacao, Busay, Camputhaw, Cogon Pardo, Duljo, Ermita, Lahug, Pasil, and Sta. Cruz posted one case each.

The new reported cases bring the total number of COVID patients in Cebu City to 5,596. Of which, the total active cases are 2,519.  JMD (FREEMAN)