Mayor Labella Calls for Calm as Covid-19 Cases Near 500

As the number of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases here increases, Mayor Edgardo Labella on Monday called on the city residents to stay calm but at the same time remain cautious with regard to their health.

Labella’s call came after the Cebu City Health Department (CCHD) recorded on Sunday 40 new confirmed Covid-19 cases and an additional 26 on Monday, bringing the total positive cases in the city to 477.

According to him, the increase in the number of was due to the massive, targeted testing in villages where suspicion of infections is high.

“In spite of the sad fact that the number of positive cases keeps on rising each day, we need to continue the massive testing. If we will do nothing, we would not know if the people walking on the streets are positive of the coronavirus,” Labella said in Cebuano during a press conference in his office on Monday.

The mayor reassured city residents that they are on top of the situation.

Labella also reminded residents to observe health protocols in preventing coronavirus infection such as social distancing, wearing face mask, frequent handwashing, and staying at home.

The 40 new cases in the city on Sunday were part of the 425 specimens tested at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center sub-national laboratory (VSMMC-SNL).

The 26 new positive cases on Monday are not reflected yet in the Department of Health (DOH)-Central Visayas’ monitoring report.

Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH-7 regional director, said the VSMMC-SNL confirmed 43 cases, but three of them were “repeat of previously confirmed positive cases.”

“All the new 40 additional cases are from Cebu City, the samples of which are from the contacts of those confirmed positive earlier from the different barangays in the city. The 39 cases are residents of the city while one is from the Cebu City Jail,” Bernadas said.

With the 451 cases in Cebu City, 28 in Lapu-Lapu City, 11 in Mandaue City, one each in Talisay, Cordova and Consolacion, all in Cebu province; four in Negros Oriental, and one from Bohol (Chinese woman who had recovered), the total Covid-19 cases in Central Visayas is now pegged at 498.

Siquijor remains to have no documented case of Covid-19, Bernadas said. (PNA)