TWO clustered clinics in Cebu City registered 52.46 percent Covid-19 positivity rate in the first two weeks of February 2021.
City Councilor Joel Garganera, deputy chief implementer of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said the rate is not a good sign as Cebu City only had a positivity rate of 3.36 percent in the month of September 2020.
The increase of Covid-19 positive results through swab tests was recorded at the clustered clinics in Cebu Medical Society in Barangay Banilad and Sawang Calero. The two clustered clinics recorded a positivity rate of 21.31 percent in January 2021.
“The cases now have reached a similar number as that of last year (months of May, June and July). But the outcomes are different. The hospitalization occupancy rate reached 85-95 percent last year while now we are at 35-45 percent. The mortality rate was three digits in the month of June (370) and July (167), while in January 2021 we have 13 and in February, we have 20 as of today,” Garganera said on Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021.
In January this year, 61 persons were swabbed and 13 of them tested positive for Covid-19.
In the first two weeks of February, 61 persons were also swabbed and 32 of them tested positive for Covid-19.
Garganera said most of the persons who were swabbed had Covid-19 symptoms.
“At this point, we don’t know yet if we will have a bigger wave or it will plateau. The answer is really up to us. We in the EOC, Cebu City Government, ABC (Association of Barangay Councils) and PNP (Philippine National Police) will continue what we’re tasked to do, which is to test, trace, isolate and the strict enforcement of minimum health protocols. Overall, the majority of the people are compliant, but it is in the private space where they lower their guard,” Garganera said.
Cebu City recorded 496 recoveries and 103 new cases on Monday, Feb. 15, bringing down the number of active cases to 2,601 from the previous day’s 2,993. (PAC)