TACLOBAN CITY – At least four senior citizens in Eastern Visayas have died of COVID-19, according to the Department of Health (DOH) in the region.
The new deaths include an 88-year-old woman from Tacloban City who died on March 17; a 75-year-old woman from Almagro, Samar who succumbed to the virus on April 19; an 83-year-old woman from Carigara town, Leyte who died on April 26; and a 79-year-old man from Villareal, Samar who died on April 30.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the region also rose as the DOH reported 107 new cases on Saturday.
Of the new cases, 73 were from Leyte province, most of them were from Ormoc City (16) and Tacloban City (13). Both Southern Leyte and Northern Samar provinces have 13 new cases while Samar and Eastern Samar have six and two new cases respectively.
With the rising number of COVID-19 cases, the city of Maasin in Southern Leyte was placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) for the entire month of May.
Prior to the declaration, Maasin, the capital city of Southern Leyte province, was placed under modified GCQ for this month.
At present, Maasin City has 74 active COVID-19 cases.
In Malitbog town, also in Southern Leyte, its rural health unit was closed on Saturday after three of its health workers tested positive for COVID-19.