COVID CASES CLIMB ANEW IN CENTRAL VISAYAS
CEBU CITY—Central Visayas is seeing a spike in new coronavirus cases, prompting authorities to increase hospital beds and isolation centers for COVID-19 patients in the region.
According to Dr. Jaime Bernadas, director of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7), they needed to prepare in the event that there would be an overflow of cases in the different hospitals in the region composed of the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Negros Oriental, and the independent cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.
He, however, stressed that the region remains safe from the highly contagious Delta variant.
Still not overwhelmed
“We have not reached the critical levels yet. Our health system is still not overwhelmed and we are still responding adequately even with the rising number of cases,” Bernadas said in an interview.
As of Friday, Central Visayas recorded 643 new cases, bringing to 9,162 the total active cases of COVID-19 in the region.
Negros Oriental has the most number of active infections with 2,526; followed by Bohol (1,794), Cebu City (1,769), Cebu province (1,608), LapuLapu City (831), Mandaue City, (587), and Siquijor (47).
Active cases
On June 30, the region’s active cases only reached 7,781. Except for Negros Oriental, the other provinces and highly urbanized cities in the region only recorded double-digit new cases every day. This month, Cebu City posted triple-digit daily new cases.
The region is now under modified general community quarantine, the most relaxed quarantine mode in the country.
Bernadas said Central Visayas currently had a 52-percent occupancy rate in both government and private hospitals, which are mostly located in Cebu. The rate was higher compared to last month’s 25-percent to 40-percent occupancy level.
Bernadas said the DOH-administered hospitals were now expanding their COVID-19 capacity even before they reach critical levels.
Safe levels for hospital occupancy should not exceed 60 percent, according to the standards from the DOH.
Bernadas said DOH-7 is also putting on hold nonemergency surgeries.
Response time delay
In Cebu City, the City Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) announced that there would be delays in responding to emergency calls as ambulances were mostly occupied by suspected COVID-19 patients bound for hospitals.
The CDRRMO, in a post on Facebook, said the public should only call for an ambulance in cases involving life-threatening emergencies.
“Our ambulances are currently waiting outside emergency rooms of hospitals for hours and waiting to hand over their patients,” the post read.
“Please expect our ambulances not to be able to respond to your emergency calls right away,” it added.
Persons with mild symptoms of COVID-19 in Cebu City were advised to undergo quarantine at the Cebu City Quarantine Center, Normal Oasis for Adaptation and a Home Complex at the South Road, and the IC3 Bayanihan Center.