The Department of Health (DOH) reported 460 fresh and 201 late confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total count to 28,459. Based on the case bulletin, 277 of the 460 fresh cases are from NCR, 21 from Region 7, and 162 from other areas.
Among the late cases, 40 are from NCR and 103 are from Central Visayas. The recovery tally increased to 7,378 while the death toll climbed to 1,130.
The health department said the country has come a long way in nearly four months in its battle against COVID-19 but some areas like Cebu City must still be monitored due to the rise in case count.
There are currently 13 barangays in the city that are included in the clustering. The local government of Cebu said the surge in case count is brought about by the boost in COVID-19 testing in communities.
The DOH pointed out that the positivity rate in Cebu is higher than in NCR. “Ang Cebu, very proactive sila, ‘di ba? ‘Yung kanilang contact tracing, ‘yung kanilang expanded testing, talagang sila ay very diligent pagdating dyan. So maaaring factor iyan sa pagtaas ng kaso sa Cebu (Cebu is very proactive. On contact tracing and expanded testing, they are very diligent. So it may be a factor in the increase of cases in Cebu),” DOH USec. Maria Rosario Vergeire explained.
Meanwhile, the DOH sees no need for Secretary Francisco Duque III to leave his post, following the call of Sen. Win Gatchalian for him to go on leave while the Office of the Ombudsman probes issues thrown at the agency.
