Cebu City Reports 7 New Covid-19 Cases from 6 Villages

This city has reported seven new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in six of its villages.

The new positive cases are in addition to the 166 confirmed by the Department of Health (DOH)-Central Visayas on Monday as showed by test results from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center sub-national laboratory.

Mayor Edgardo Labella announced this in his official social media page on Tuesday afternoon, after the Cebu City Health Department (CCHD) confirmed the result of the swab tests conducted on a number of suspected cases, including the seven.

“As of April 21, 2020, after validation and confirmation, two new cases are confirmed in Barangay Calamba, one new case in Barangay Duljo-Fatima, one new case in Barangay Carreta, one new case in Barangay Suba’s Fishport, one new case in Barangay Hipodromo, and one new case in Barangay Labangon in Katipunan area,” he said.

Four of the seven patients from Calamba, Hipodromo and Labangon are now admitted in a hospital in the city for close monitoring, he said.

According to him, two of the seven new cases in the city are inmates at the Cebu City Jail.

Elmer Abella, village chief of Duljo-Fatima, confirmed in a phone interview that the one positive case from his barangay is an inmate at the city jail.

The other inmate is from Carreta.

“Yesterday (April 20), the Cebu City Health Team rendered selective massive testing in different barangays,” the mayor said.

The team took swab samples from 11 patients in Hipodromo, 18 in Barangay Luz which is placed under enforced lockdown, 75 in Barangay Labangon, 199 in Cebu City Jail. The official result is yet to be released, he added.

Meanwhile, Labella encouraged Cebu City residents to visit any of the five influenza-like illness (ILI) cluster clinics set up by the CCHD last March in case they experience coughing, runny nose, fever, sore throat and diarrhea which are symptoms of Covid-19.

City residents living in north area can visit the ILI cluster clinic in Pit-os Gym, and Brotherhood Gym at Barangay Basak-San Nicolas for the southern residents.

Residents of the western corridor can also seek consultation from the doctors stationed at the Cebu City Sports Institute in Barangay San Nicolas-Proper, with Tinago Gym and Cebu Medical Society Compound in Banilad for residents in east and central area, respectively.

The advisory posted on Labella’s social media page said that the ILI cluster clinics are open every 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

As of Tuesday, the CCHD monitoring report said the city has 35 ILI cases under surveillance and 102 persons under monitoring. About 827 persons placed under monitoring were already cleared of the coronavirus disease. (PNA)