32 more test positive for COVID-19 in Eastern Visayas
TACLOBAN CITY – At least 32 more persons have tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Eastern Visayas on Saturday, June 20, bringing the total number of cases in the region to 395.
The Department of Health in Eastern Visayas (DOH-8) said 11 of the new cases were recorded in Tacloban City, the region’s capital, where there has been a “local transmission” of the virus.
On Friday, emergency rooms of the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in Barangay Cabalawan and Magsaysay Boulevard in this city resumed operations after they were closed for disinfection.
Last June 16, at least 18 health workers, including eight doctors and five nurses, were infected with the coronavirus, prompting the DOH to temporarily close the hospital.
Several local government units in the region have also suspended accepting locally stranded individuals (LSIs) to contain the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in their respective areas.
While there is no consolidated data yet, it appears that the cases started to rise when LSIs from Manila and Cebu started to return to the region.
Leyte town Mayor Arnold James Ysidoro said he decided to stop accepting LSIs since their municipality has run out of quarantine facilities to house returnees.
Leyte town, he said, has one COVID-19 case so far.
/MUF
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