FOR the first time since Jan. 26, 2021, the number of active coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in Cebu City has dropped below 1,000.
Based on records of the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), the city has 937 active cases.
City Councilor Joel Garganera, EOC deputy chief implementer, said coronavirus cases had hit double digits since April 1, which saw 89 additional cases. But that number fell to just 11 new cases on April 4, he said.
The city has averaged 62 new cases since the beginning of the month, he said.
On Jan. 27, the EOC logged 1,051 active cases, but that number tripled to more than 3,000 in the succeeding weeks.
Based on records of the Department of Health (DOH) 7, the number of actives cases peaked at 3,565 on March 6.
The city recorded the lowest number of cases on Dec. 7, which only had 175. But that started to go up when more and more people went out to celebrate the Christmas, New Year and Sinulog holidays.
Mayor Edgardo Labella said the current decrease in active cases can be attributed to the public cooperating with the government’s efforts to contain the pandemic by complying with existing safety and health protocols.
Meanwhile, Garganera said the public should brace for a possible spike in Covid-19 cases in the coming days because of the recently concluded Holy Week holiday.
“Tomorrow will be the fifth day from the long Holy Week holiday. We’re expecting cases to rise because of the movements last week,” he said on Thursday, April 8.
However, he said EOC personnel are prepared for any scenario.
“It’s already a muscle memory to us, and it’s how things are expected here at EOC,” he said.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, DOH 7 spokesperson, hopes the city official will be wrong.
The EOC data show that 1,483 beds are available in the city’s isolation facilities: 349 at the New Normal Oasis for Adaptation and a Home Complex, 102 at the Cebu City Quarantine Center, 840 at various barangay isolation centers and 192 at isolation hotels.
The same report shows that the critical care occupancy rate in 15 hospitals in Cebu City is only 29.1 percent of the 981 total beds allocated for Covid-19 patients. (PAC, JJL / PJB)