Eastern Visayas posts highest single-day rise of 879 new COVID cases

FILE PHOTO: Colorized scanning electron micrograph of an apoptotic cell (red) infected with SARS-COV-2 virus particles (yellow), also known as novel coronavirus, isolated from a patient sample. Image captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH/Handout via REUTERS.

TACLOBAN CITY — The Department of Health (DOH) in Eastern Visayas reported 879 new cases of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Thursday, the highest ever for single-day cases in the region since the pandemic started.

Of all the local governments in the region which posted new cases, Tacloban City, its regional capital, logged the highest with 180 cases.

This brings to 933 the number of active COVID-19 cases in the city which reported the death of a 73-year-old patient on January 15.

The man was vaccinated against COVID-19 on August 8 of last year, city health officer Dr. Gloria Fabrigas said.

Fatalities due to COVID-19 have reached 50.

Fabrigas said that with the increasing number of coronavirus infections in the city and the rest of the region, there is a “possibility” that it could be due to the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19.

“It’s possible but not yet conclusive,” she said.

Fabrigas said they have sent some samples coursed through the regional DOH office to the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) for sequencing to determine if there is now an Omicron variant in the city.

Jelyn Lopez Malibago, DOH information officer, said that while they have yet to receive any of the 90 swab samples submitted to the PGC, they too are not dismissing any likelihood that the Omicron variant could be behind the fast increase of COVID-19 in Eastern Visayas.

“We are considering the possibility of having the Omicron variant in the region,” she said.

Based on the DOH bulletin released Thursday, Eastern Visayas has 879 new cases, increasing its total active cases to 3,710.

The province of Leyte posted the highest number of infections at 521. Both Samar and Eastern Samar logged 156 and 121 new COVID-19 cases, respectively.

Southern Leyte has 47 new cases while Biliran has 24 and Northern Samar has 10.