Cebu City COVID-19 cases spike to 25

CEBU, Philippines —  From only 11 at the start of this year, Cebu City’s active cases have increased to 25, a little more than double in just three days after detecting 13 more cases yesterday.

Cebu City had been enjoying a single digit to no new daily cases for over a month and a half.

Even after the city was hit by typhoon Odette, testing and contact tracing continued, though most of the active cases were under home isolation.

On the first day of 2022, the city got two fresh cases out of the 233 tested and then had another four on January 2 out of the 150 tested.

Yesterday, the Emergency Operations Center reported 13 additional cases out of the 319 individual results collected on January 3.

With that, the positivity rate has gone up to 4.10 percent, nearing the World Health Organization threshold of 5 percent.

For the 13 new cases, four of them are under the 61-above age bracket, one under the 51-60, two in the 41-50 bracket, and three each under the 21 to 30 and 31 to 40 bracket.

Now, the number of barangays with having active cases have also increased to 14.T

This includes four from Barangay Lahug, three each from barangays Kasambagan and Mambaling, two each from barangays Guadalupe, Banilad, and Talamban and the rest from barangays Apas, Capitol Site, Hipodromo, Malubog, Pit-os, Punta Princesa, Talamban, Tejero and Tisa.

EOC’s deputy chief implementer and City Councilor Joel Garganera said although there has been no report yet of a case out of the Omicron variant in the city, it is best that everyone should now put it in mind so as not to be complacent.

The EOC has now put in place two of its Barangay Isolation Centers and Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility.

Garganera also reminded everyone, including the vaccinated, to continue observing the minimum health protocols.

For the unvaccinated, the city government is not stopping its vaccination efforts.

Dr. Jeffrey Ibones said its vaccination sites located at the Cebu City Hall, Ayala Center-Cebu, Robinson’s Galleria, SM Seaside City, and SM City-Cebu have already started accepting individuals who are yet going for its first dose except for the pediatric population and boosters. — Decemay Padilla, KQD (FREEMAN)