COVID-19 in Cebu City: massive tests and change in outbreak dynamics

(PART 1)

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Steam Inhalation, locally known as you-ob In Cebuano, it has been a common home remedy among Cebuanos who suffer from respiratory problems and infections.

Wrapping their heads in towels and inhaling steam from freshly boiled water infused with ginger and various herbs has been the daily routine of Ben de la Rosa and his roommate Nica Cadavero.

Both Ben and Nica are now staying at a designated isolation facility in Barangay Luz, Cebu, after they tested positive for the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) last April.

Ben and Nica, and their two young children, reside at the Zapatera Site in town. All four have been infected with COVID-19, which also brought down 130 more in the densely populated sub-village that has more than 9,000 residents.

But so far, Ben’s family has not experienced any symptoms of the disease, such as fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath, and they are now racing to recover.

“We are doing everything we can to keep our lives healthy. Not only do we inhale steam and drink vitamins, but we also exercise and do Zumba every morning, ”Ben said in Cebuano by phone.

Barangay Luz is just one of the heavily congested poor urban communities in Cebu City where COVID-19 was detected. The others are Barangays Mambaling (539), Labangon (125), and Suba (124). (These data are from May 6).

However, these figures are far from those reported during the early stages of the Cebu City outbreak. Data compiled and calculated by CDN Digital showed that the total number of COVID-19 cases in the city from March to April increased up to 30 times.

Local officials and health experts here attributed the dramatic increase in the numbers to the massive tests implemented after the city government purchased a total of 30,000 test kits.

On the one hand, the massive tests were intended to determine the extent of the disease, while on the other, they gave way to a change in the dynamics of the outbreak, in terms of age distribution among patients, their health conditions, environments and even socioeconomic background.

Cebu City has tested more than 9,600 samples as of May 5, 2020.

Mass testing

Since March 29, there have been no documented cases of COVID-19 in the central Visayas provinces, except Cebu. Siquijor remains the only island-province in the region free of any confirmed patient with the disease.

As of May 5, the province of Cebu has a total of 1,566 cases of coronavirus. These include prisoners from three prisons, repatriated workers abroad, and health workers who are also fighting the outbreak on the front line.

The figures comprised about 99.4 percent of the total count for the entire region. The two COVID-19s in Negros Oriental and Bohol remained at four and one respectively.

1,388 of the 1,566 COVID-19 cases in Cebu come from the province’s capital, Cebu City, the largest city in central Visayas in terms of population and economic activities, where more than 1 million people reside and work.

The increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Cebu City began between April 14-15, when CHD finally launched the massive tests. As a result, double and triple digit reports began on additional patients per day.

Younger and healthier patients

Even before the massive tests began, Cebu City led in terms of areas in Central Visayas with the highest number of COVID-19 patients since March. However, most of those admitted back then were adults, who were over 60 years old.

Now him Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH – 7) He observed that most of the new patients are getting younger, with several minors and even babies as a 9-day-old baby being part of the city’s growing list of coronavirus cases.

Ben, a crew member of a popular restaurant chain, is 19 years old, while his partner, Nica, is only 18 years old. Her babies were twins, both nine months old.

READ MORE: COVID-19 cases in Central Visayas reach 366, most patients are now “younger”

In addition to the age distribution, health experts also noted that the majority of people who were found to be infected with COVID-19 are asymptomatic and healthier compared to those reported during the early stages of the outbreak in Cebu.

The death rate in Cebu City as of April 30 remained at 0.50 percent, which is well below the global average of 6.4 percent. According to DOH -7, low mortality rates are indicators of expanded surveillance.

But even if they remained relatively healthy, Ben and Nica are not at risk with the infection they have. The couple now awaits another round of swab tests to determine if their systems have been killed by the virus.

“We have already been in the isolation center for 9 days. We really hope that our laboratory results for the next round of tests will come back positive so that we can resume our normal lives,” added Ben in Cebuano.

READ MORE: Cebu City violates 400 in COVID-19 cases; asymptomatic majority

Closed settings and crowded communities

Cebu City also witnessed how the virus quickly spread from elegant neighborhoods to crowded areas where physical detachment cannot be fully implemented, such as the Zapatera Site in Barangay Luz.

Closed and densely populated settings, common characteristics of poor urban communities, contributed to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Cebu City.

A blockade was immediately implemented in the parts where localized outbreaks are reported.

READ MORE: In Cebu City, about 89 percent of COVID-19 cases come from densely populated areas

The Cebu City Jail has a congestion rate of more than 1,000 percent. The prison complex located in Barangay Kalunasan was designed to house approximately 900 inmates only.

However, data from the Management and Penology Office of the Jail in Central Visayas (BJMP – 7) revealed that it now houses more than 6,600 detainees. Therefore, it was not a surprise that when the virus got there, it infected a total of 210 people, mostly prisoners, on April 30.

It rose to 332 on May 2 when follow-up and contact testing led authorities to discover 123 new confirmed patients who had the disease.

One of the facility’s recently opened buildings instantly became an isolation center where confirmed inmates who had COVID-19 will remain until they recover from the disease.

The jail has been closed since March 13. The city government also introduced new policies there as part of its efforts to stem the spread of the virus.

READ MORE: Mandatory swab test for all inmates entering and leaving the Cebu City Jail

Meanwhile, Sitio Zapatera is home to more than 9,000 people. Due to their density, the pathways leading to the interior portions of the site are often narrow, with houses built almost adjoining.

READ MORE: Massive testing continues for Sitio Zapatera, rest of Brgy. Proof light

At least 136 of the 193 patients with Barangay Luz’s COVID-19 were discovered at Sitio Zapatera. However, the virus has reached nearby sites, particularly along Cabantan Street, and infects 57 others.

However, on May 5, Barangay Luz was overtaken by Barangay Mambaling in terms of the village with the highest number of COVID-19 cases.

Like Sitio Zapatera, the epicenter of the Mambaling outbreak was located in Alaska Mambaling, a heavily populated residential area facing South Road Properties (SRP). More than 400 of the 539 COVID-19 patients at Barangay Mambaling are discovered in Alaska Mambaling.

READ MORE: Barangay Mambaling is Cebu City’s new COVID-19 access point

Barangays Labangon and Suba have also recorded three digits in the number of COVID-19 cases in their respective territories.

Similar to Sitio Zapatera, Sitio Callejón in Barangay Labangon is also a poor and highly populated urban community. This sub-village only has about 92 percent, or 115 of 126, of Labangon’s total COVID-19 cases.

READ MORE: Labangon needs more space for patients with COVID-19

In Barangay Suba, on the other hand, most of those affected by the disease were connected to the Suba fishing port, whose operations had been temporarily and indefinitely suspended.

Suba, a coastal town facing the Mactan Canal, is home to one of the most important fishing ports in Cebu City. From here, the fresh catch of the day will be transported to other parts of not only the city but also the entire island.

Of the 124 COVID-19 patients registered in Barangay Suba, more than half reside on the streets of Abellana, General Gines, Belgium, Magsaysay and Sto. Child, all of which surrounds the Suba fish market.

READ MORE: Barangay workers raise positive for COVID-19, boss asks for help

A total of 1,215 patients with COVID-19 are found in all areas of Cebu City where localized outbreaks are reported, comprising about 88 percent of the city’s bill that has already reached 1,388 to 6 May 2020.

To be continue

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