CEBU CITY – The Central Visayas region has recorded a total of 4,591 coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases, the Department of Health (DOH)-Region 7 said on Monday.
Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH-7 regional director, said the cumulative number of Covid-19 patients rose after they discovered 131 more confirmed cases on June 12.
Of the 131 new cases, the city still has the highest number with 109, while Cebu province has 16, and Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, three cases each.
No new case was reported in Bohol and Negros Oriental, while Siquijor has remained Covid-19-free since the pandemic started.
Bernadas also said 33.89 percent or 1,556 of the total Covid-19 patients have already recovered, while 40.43 percent or 1,856 are still in home or barangay isolation and 1,094 representing 23.83 percent are still admitted in hospitals.
The total number of deaths due to Covid-19 has reached 85.
“The region has case fatality rate of 1.6 percent, (which is) lower than the national and global average CFR (case fatality rate),” Bernadas said in a statement posted on the DOH-7 website.
He admitted that the Covid-19 health crisis has revealed “deficiencies of the overall health capacity of the region”, but pointed out that “these deficiencies were already present even before the current pandemic”.
He confirmed social media posts about patients refused admission by private hospitals because they are already full.
“The DOH CVCHD (Central Visayas Center for Health Development) has already reached out to private hospitals to look for mechanisms where the capacity for Covid-19 cases will be expanded. The major private hospitals in Metro Cebu have committed to the expansion of their capacity to an average of 30 percent from their existing capacity,” Bernadas said.
The expansion, he said, will mean an increase in Covid-19 beds in private hospitals to 548 and in government hospitals to 364.
He, however, clarified that the additional beds will only cater to severe to critical cases of coronavirus. Covid-19 patients manifesting mild symptoms will be brought to the three patient care facilities with combined capacity of 338 isolation beds.
He said facilities for asymptomatic patients in Metro Cebu will also have to be expanded.“These actions are guided by the conducted Rapid Antibody Test in Metro Cebu which revealed that 2.2 percent of the population has already been exposed to Covid-19,” Bernadas said, adding that surge capacity plans have been done and will be regularly updated to ensure no patient will be refused admission by hospitals. (PNA)