95% of COVID-19 cases in Cebu City asymptomatic – Mayor Labella

MANILA, Philippines — Most of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients are not experiencing the signs and symptoms of the dreaded viral respiratory illness, Mayor Edgardo Labella said Tuesday.

As of May 18, there are 1,749 residents in the city who tested positive for the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2 that causes respiratory disease.

Labella said 95% of the patients are not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

Labella said the city government was able to detect COVID-19 cases in the city through “efficient, extensive contact tracing.”

He touted that the mortality rate of the disease in the city is only at .095%

“We were able to isolate the asymptomatic cases in our barangay isolation centers,” Labella told reporters in an online press briefing.

The city government also conducted contact tracing after an outbreak was reported at the Cebu City jail.

Three hundred inmates  were isolated in a bid  to curb the spread of the virus.

So far, more than 10,000 residents of the city were already able to undergo COVID-19 tests while 8,000 others were tested with rapid antibody testing kits.

Cebu City is one of several areas in the country that is still under enhanced community quarantine status due to the high number of COVID-19 cases.

To date, there are 12,718 COVID-19 cases in the country.  Two thousand seven hundred twenty nine patients have recovered while 831 have died.

GSG