After recording 19 new cases in a single day
BY: ROEL T. AMAZONA
TACLOBAN CITY- Eastern Visayas’ continue to see its coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) increasing, a rate described by the Department of Health in the region as ‘alarming.’
As of Thursday (June 11), the region has now 76 COVID-19 cases with the surge noted after individuals who availed the national government initiated ‘Balik Probinsiya’ program and returning overseas workers and those considered locally stranded individuals started to return to their respective hometowns in the region.
“In a way, it is alarming. Before, our highest number of cases in a single day was eight and we were only focused in one area which is Tarangnan where there is a local transmission,” Dr. Minerva Molon, the regional director of the DOH, said.
Tarangan was then considered to be the epicenter of COVID-19 in region with the health authorities declaring of a local transmission in the said town which has about 29 cases out the 33 cases of the entire Samar province.
Molon said that they are projecting new cases as more people are to return to their respective hometowns in the region.
“It’s just a matter of time especially now that we have open our gates. We have this program of our government. But what is good is that our local government units are ready with their quarantine facilities and they are following the health protocols,” she said.
Molon also asked the cooperation of the public to strictly observe all the health protocols being advised by the government to help stop any further spread of the virus.
On Wednesday, the DOH in the region reported of 19 cases in a single day with patients involving locally stranded individuals, returning overseas workers and those who availed the Balik Probinsiya program.
And of the four provinces in the region which have confirmed COVID-19 cases, Leyte posted the highest number of cases with 35 followed by Samar with 33; Northern Samar,7; and Biliran,1.
Incidentally, Leyte was among the provinces in the country to first implement the Balik Probinsiya program.
Currently, out of its 40 towns and three cities, 15 of them have confirmed COVID-19 cases. Both the cities of Ormoc and Baybay have the highest number of coronavirus cases with eight each.
The latest to have COVID-19 cases were the towns of Lapaz and Matalom with one each.
