Cebu City notes drop in COVID-19 cases

Map of Cebu City.

CEBU CITY – Cases of COVID-19 in this city have dwindled in the past few days as the local government continues to implement strict restrictions under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

Councilor Joel Garganera, the deputy chief implementer of the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said hospitals’ situations have also improved.

“The fruits of our labor are now showing. New infections are really declining,” he said.

At the start of August, Cebu City recorded between 300 and 400 new COVID-19 cases. In the past few days, the cases decreased to between 100 and 200 new infections.

The number of deaths has also declined in the past few days at less than 10 people compared to the past weeks, where COVID-19 deaths reached more than 20 per day.

Garganera said the funeral homes and mortuaries remain full, but they expect the numbers also to go down.

Cebu City has seven Barangay Isolation Centers, but only three were occupied. The others are vacant and are now undergoing a disinfection process. The three reserved isolation centers also remain unused.

“Our records are clearly showing a decline. But let us not be complacent. There is a tendency for people to be complacent when restrictions are eased,” Garganera said.

The city will still be under MECQ until September 7.

Garganera said that they would use this period to bring down the cases in the city further.

According to the Department of Health in Central Visayas, the active COVID-19 infections in Cebu City is currently at 4,491.

Based on the current records, Garganera said they expect the cases to go down within the 3,000-level next week and within the 2,000-level and below for next month.

Records from the Visayas Vaccination Operation Center showed that Cebu City has 165,231 fully vaccinated individuals or about 25.8 percent of its population.