Region has now 1,144 COVID-19 cases
By: LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA
TACLOBAN CITY- A three-month old girl baby is among the latest persons in the region to be infected with the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) as the Department of Health announces Eastern Visayas total cases to 1,144 as of Friday.
The three-month old baby girl is from Villareal, Samar while a 21-year old pregnant woman from Motiong, also in Samar, was also inflicted of the dreaded virus, the DOH said.
Of the 61 new cases of the region, 59 of them were locally stranded individuals (LSIs), one is a returning overseas worker from Kananga town, Leyte and a 31-year man nurse assigned at the City Health Office of Catbalogan City, also in Samar.
The said health worker and the eight other new cases of Catbalogan are now placed at their isolation facility and all are asymptomatic, the City Health Office announced.
Meantime, three towns in Eastern Samar posted their first COVID-19 cases.
These are the towns of Llorente, Arteche, and Gen.MacArthur. Llorente and Arteche have one case each while Gen. MacArthur has two cases.
Llorente Mayor Daniel Boco, who announced the town’s first case through Facebook ‘live’, did not hide his disappointment as they logged their first COVID-19 case.
At one point of his announcement, Boco mentioned of ‘Hatid Sundo’ program as ‘Hatid COVID-19.’
Their first COVID-19 case, he said, returned to their town last July 21 under the Hatid Sundo program and was suffering from fever. His swab result turned to be positive and is now at the Provincial Hospital based in Borongan City.
“He just returned here without any confirmation from the local government unit,” he said. Still, they welcome the 29-year old man, he said.
Hatid Sundo is a program of the national government providing free transportation of LSIs for them to return to their respective provinces.
The return of LSIs to the region has been attributed of its increasing number of COVID-19 cases.
