Region’s cases reach the 10,000 mark
TACLOBAN CITY- The number of deaths due to complications of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from the region has increased to 116 as the Department of Health (DOH) reported of six new fatalities due to the dreaded virus over the weekend .
As this developed, the number of COVID-19 cases in the region has now breached the 10,000 mark.
As of Monday (Dec.21), the total number of COVID-19 cases of the region has now reached to 10,134 since March of this year.
The DOH reported that the latest persons to die due to complications of COVID-19 involved a 79-year-old woman from Tanauan, Leyte who died last Dec.11; a 55-year-old man from Gandara town in Samar, and 56-year-old woman from Victoria, Northern Samar who both died on Dec.16; an 85-year-old woman from Ormoc City, Leyte, and a 58-year-old woman from Oras, Eastern Samar who both died on Dec.17; and a 68-year-old man from Catbalogan City, Samar who succumbed on Dec.18.
Ormoc City continue to report high cases of COVID-19. Just last Sunday, it posted 33 new cases pushing its active cases to 163.
Mayor Richard Gomez has issued an executive order strengthening its border control due to the upsurge of COVID-19 cases in the city as those who are allowed entry must undergo thermal scanning and present QR codes.
On Monday, after posting two digits of cases of persons infected of COVID-19 since the start of this month, the DOH said that the region has only nine new cases of the deadly infection.
With the nine new cases, the region’s total COVID-19 cases rose to 10,134 which came from Leyte with nine new cases; and one each from the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar.
Since the start of this month, daily COVID-19 cases of the region were in double digits with the highest so far reported on Dec.16 with 156 cases.
Meantime, the health facilities in Pastrana and Carigara towns, both in Leyte, were shut down.
The rural health unit of Pastrana was temporarily closed since Sunday (Dec.20) after one of its health workers was identified to be a close contact of a person who was tested positive of COVID-19.
The Carigara District Hospital was also closed down since Saturday (Dec.19) after one of its health care worker was tested positive.
In Kananga town, also in Leyte, its municipal hospital was ordered open on Monday (Dec.21) after it was closed last Dec.17 by Mayor Matt Torres.
However, the hospital will only entertain emergency and out-patient cases as there are some staff of the said hospital still in quarantine, Torres said.
Torres was tested negative of the virus based on the swab result that came out last Sunday. (JOEY A. GABIETA/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
