Cases, positivity rate continue to drop

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is not letting its guard down despite the decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases and positivity and hospitalization rates constantly dropping.

Councilor Joel Garganera, EOC deputy chief implementer, said they are meeting regularly the different departments and agencies to constantly remind them to continue to implement the minimum health protocols to avoid another surge.  

As of May 9, the EOC reported 487 active cases left in Cebu City spread in 53 barangays. The remaining 27 barangays are without active cases. According to EOC, positivity rate on May 9 was at 4.86% or only 30 coming out positive of the 617 tested.

For nine straight days, Cebu City’s positivity rate is within the 5-percent threshold of the World Health Organization. Critical care occupancy or utilization rate is also at its lowest at 21.5% with only 196 beds occupied of the total 910 beds assigned for COVID-19 patients in 15 public and private hospital facilities here.

“For today, we have the lowest critical care occupancy rate at 21.5%.Of the 910 bed capacity, only 196 are occupied or 716 beds are vacant for this year or we refer as the second surge. And it’s been nine days already we’re experiencing a very safe threshold of within 5% of the daily positivity rate,” said Garganera.

To keep cases low to nothing, the EOC is meeting different groups to remind them to keep everything in order and safe.

Garganera said they are meeting the Philippine National Police, the Association of Barangay Captains and the Philippine Statistics Authority with regards to the conduct of the ongoing national ID registration.

Aside from that, Garganera said, the EOC is also tackling the issue of community pantry with PNP and ABC in anticipation of those going to put up pantries in fire-stricken barangays and make sure that no other untoward incident will happen like what happened in Barangay Mabolo over the  weekend.

 “In order to prevent, avoid, preempt sa susamang nahitabo over the weekend nga naay kasamok until nahiabot ang PNP.We in EOC including the PNP and barangays should not be reactive r to be deployed lang in order to rectify or correct the flow but we should be on board in the planning stage in order to avoid violations being committed during the said event,” said Garganera.

Garganera also said, they are going to revisit the pungko-pungko, carenderias and the likes to check on the compliance of the health protocols after receiving feedbacks that social distancing are no longer observed in these places. These areas have also been identified as one of the sources of transmissions in the second surge here. — FPL (FREEMAN)