Philippine Daily Inquirer Digital Edition

COVID-19 CASES IN CENTRAL VISAYAS BACK TO DOUBLE DIGITS

By Nestle Semilla @nestleINQ

CEBU CITY—Daily cases of COVID-19 in Central Visayas have increased to double digits in the past two weeks, the Department of Health (DOH) in the region reported.

Dr. Eugenia Mercedes Cañal, cluster head of the DOH Regional Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit, said the coronavirus cases in the region had been “persistently increasing” from 30 to 43 every day.

“We notice in our two-week growth rate that we are on a 211percent increase compared to the previous two weeks and the current two weeks,” she said in a media interview on Friday.

Cañal, however, stressed that the daily attack rate was still below 10.

In epidemiology, attack rate is the percentage of an atrisk population that contracts a disease during a specified time interval.

‘Don’t be complacent’

While the daily attack rate in Central Visayas remained low, Cañal urged the people not to be complacent, considering that the number of persons in the region who were vaccinated against COVID-19 was less than 85 percent.

“Let us not be too confident. Two weeks ago, it seemed that we were close to flattening the coronavirus curve but now the cases are again slowly increasing,” she said.

Dr. Van Phillip Baton, DOH-Central Visayas Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases Program manager, urged the uninoculated, especially senior citizens, to get vaccinated.

Senior citizens, he said, should realize that the only way to enjoy life was to have themselves vaccinated against COVID-19.

Baton also called on the public to continue to wear face mask, practice physical distancing and avoid crowded places.

“COVID-19 is still with us—up to a certain degree, but still it is a degree. The only way to be protected from severe COVID-19 is to get vaccinated and get booster shots for additional protection,” he said.

REGIONS

en-ph

2022-07-03T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-07-03T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://philippinedailyinquirerplus.pressreader.com/article/281754158018205

Philippine Daily Inquirer