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LOCKED. Laboratory technicians carry out massive tests in the city of Cebu Barangay. Photo by Gelo Litonjua / Rappler
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A densely populated site in Cebu City is “presumably contaminated” with the new coronavirus by the Central Visayas Department of Health (DOH) after 24 more residents tested positive for the pathogen.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases at Sitio Zapatera in Barangay Luz to just 54, which represents more than half of the 95 confirmed cases in the Central Visayas region.
“We will monitor those with symptoms,” DOH-7 director Dr. Jaime Bernadas told reporters during an online press conference on Thursday, April 16.
“We will assume that the area is contaminated and we will control the symptoms there. We will take them to our hospitals,” he said in Cebuano.
This is probably the first time that a whole community has been described by health authorities as “allegedly contaminated” since the Philippines’ first confirmed case of COVID-19 in late January.
Sitio Zapatera has a population of about 9,000 people, many of whom live on pensions and work in nearby Cebu Business Park and IT Park in Barangay Lahug.
The site has been closed since April 7, when the first cases in the barangay were confirmed. Mass testing of residents began on April 14 (LEA: At least 9,000 residents in Cebu city barangay until full closure)
Among the 54 COVID-19 patients at the site are two 9-month-old babies.
Those who were examined, Bernadas said, were asymptomatic. However, they were prioritized due to contact tracking.
With all site residents deemed “contaminated” with the virus, DOH will suspend the mass testing.
Dr. Daisy Villa, chief of the City’s Health Department, who led the massive testing of the site, said they would stop the swab test and simply monitor the area to detect anyone who develops symptoms.
“The virus is evident in that area, on the borders and in the middle zone [of the sitio]Villa said in a text message to Rappler.
A total of 200 swab tests were performed Thursday. The results are expected to be released on Friday afternoon.
Three other cases were also confirmed in the city of Lapu-Lapu, which increases its number of patients with COVID-19 to 7.
As of Thursday at 5 pm, there are 95 confirmed cases in Central Visayas:
- Cebu City, 77
- Mandaue City 3
- Cebu Province, 3 (other cities and towns)
- Blacks Oriental, 4
- Bohol, 1
- Siquijor, 0
Bernadas said the public should expect the number of COVID-19 cases to increase in the following days due to the increased testing capacity of the cities.
He encouraged Cebuanos to still minimize outings, wear face masks, and observe physical distancing.
As of 4 pm Thursday, there are 5,660 confirmed cases in the Philippines with 362 deaths and 435 recoveries.– Rappler.com
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