TACLOBAN CITY – The local government of Kananga, Leyte will temporarily stop accepting returning residents as its designated quarantine facilities have reached full capacity.
In a statement issued Thursday, Mayor Manuel Vicente Torres said this includes all returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Balik Probinsiya, Balik Pag-as a program beneficiary, and locally stranded individuals (LSIs) regardless of their place of origin.
“Our quarantine facilities with a total of 120 beds are already loaded. Thus, we could no longer continue accepting new arrivals until further notice, as we have no more space to isolate them,” he said.
On June 16, the Department of Health (DOH) announced the town’s first coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) case admitted at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center here.
The local government said the community where the patient resides in Rizal village was placed under lockdown the next day to prevent a possible spread of the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, two adjacent communities in Kawayan and San Isidro villages were also placed under lockdown on Monday, after it was found that a resident had close contact with a coronavirus patient from nearby Ormoc City.
“This is to protect my constituents from the local transmission of the virus. The increasing number of Covid-19 cases in our province is alarming considering than more half of the province’s towns and cities have at least one positive case,” Torres said.
Since the outbreak in the country, Eastern Visayas has confirmed a total of 342 cases, including 36 recoveries and zero death, according to the DOH monitoring report.
Of the total, 160 are from Leyte, 74 from Samar, 42 from Ormoc City, 33 from Southern Leyte, 21 from Tacloban City, seven from Northern Samar, four from Biliran, and one from Eastern Samar.
(GERICO SABALZA/PNA)

TACLOBAN CITY-At least 22 healthcare workers have been added to the growing coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) positive cases in Eastern Visayas.
18 of these healthcare workers are working at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center while four of them are working at the Leyte Provincial Hospital, Dr. Minerva Molon, the regional director of the Department of Health (DOH-8) said.
At least 6 doctors, 7 nurses, 2 nursing attendants, 2 radiologist technician and a driver have been infected in EVRMC.
With the announcement from DOH-8, the EVRMC also made an advisory that the EVRMC – Emergency Department in Cabalawan and Magsaysay will be closed temporarily for admission and all referrals until further notice, Aron Balais, chairman of the said department, said.
The 22 healthcare workers were part of the 59 new confirmed COVID 19 cases that have been added to date, raising the total number now in the region to 344.
Meanwhile, EVRMC Chief of Hospital Dr. Salvador admitted that indeed there are lapses as to why there were health workers who got infected of the virus.
Evardone said that there were lapses in the decision making in the triage, there were patients who were able to go inside the triage, in which patients should not be admitted to emergency room if they were not yet screened outside of the hospital.
Admittedly there were breach of protocols in decision making, if the patient has cough and cold, they are supposed to be brought to EVRMC Magsaysay, said Evardone.
According to Evardone, it is ironic that only 2 health workers are positive of COVID-19 in Magsaysay and 16 in EVRMC Cabalawan when in fact the latter only serves as screening for patients.
It was also reported by Evardone that there was a healthcare worker that went to EVRMC Cabalawan to have its child’s wound stitched in the emergency room, it turned out that the health worker was positive with COVID-19, though not connected to the hospital, thus, doctors there were infected.
Evardone said that they are not blaming anyone with the situation, public should not panic because those positive healthcare workers do not attend to patients admitted at the ward section of the hospital.
Virtual consultation is ongoing and not face to face according to Evardone.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

TACLOBAN CITY- The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Eastern Visayas has breached the 300 mark as the Department of Health (DOH-8) reported 69 new confirmed cases of the disease.
This means, the total COVID-19 cases of the region are 334 as of June 17.
In a statement, the DOH-8 said that a total of 410 results were released by Eastern Visayas Regional Covid-19 Testing Center (EVRCTC) on that day of which 341 were negative and 69 were positive. They will be tagged as Patients EV-265 to EV-333.
The 69 positive results are distributed to the following municipalities:
For Leyte: 6 from San Miguel; 4 from Burauen; 3 from Alangalang; 2 from Matag-ob; and one each for Baybay City, Hindang and Matalom.
For Samar: 20 from Basey; 3 from Calbayog; and one each from Gandara and Sta. Rita.
For Southern, Leyte: 12 from Libagon; 8 from Tomas Oppus; 3 from Bontoc and one each from Padre Burgos, Hinunangan and Maasin, City.
On Thursday morning, nine additional positive cases were recorded by the EVRCTC.
The four results were from La Paz, Leyte which turned positive for COVID-19. They were tagged as Patients EV-334 to EV-337.
While, the DWHVL has released a total of 128 laboratory results with 123 negative and 5 positive for COVID-19. They were tagged as Patients EV-338 to EV-342 and from the following municipalities of Leyte:
Palo- 1; Tabango- 1; Capoocan- 1 and San Miguel, 2. same date
The EVRCTC has released a total of 265 laboratory results, with 263 negative and two (2) positive for COVID-19. They were tagged as patients EV-343 and EV-344.
Patient EV-343 is a 26-year-old, male, health worker, from Tacloban City.
Patient EV-344 is a 27-year-old, male, a Locally Stranded Individual (LSI) from Manila and a resident of Biliran, Biliran.
In an earlier statement Dr. Minerva Molon regional director DOH-8 said that the health department are taking steps to end this crisis in the region.
She added that local officials can do mitigation approaches like community restrictions and isolate people with symptoms, especially those who have a history of travel or exposure to Covid-19 cases,” Molon said.
To date, cases investigation is ongoing and more details will be provided by the concerned local government units, Molon said. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

PALO, Leyte –About 54 police officers from the region were sent to Police Regional Office 7, Camp Sergio Osmeña, Cebu City, to augment its forces as the province was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).
This was disclosed by Police Brigadier General Bernabe Balba, police regional director, who said that the 54 Police Mobile Force personnel are to be augmented as a reinforcement to the manpower of police force in PRO7.
“As we battle with this pandemic, I am one with the burden being faced by the Police Regional Office 7 where frontliners, especially a large number of the police force are now are now busy performing their mandated duties. As we heal as one, we responded to the request of the National Headquarters to send an augmentation to PRO 7,” Balba said.
Fifty-two Police Non-Commissioned Officers and two Police Commissioned Officers from the regional police headquarters will be augmented as additional team together with the police force of Police Regional Office 6 (PRO 6) as directed by PNP Chief, Police General Archie F. Gamboa.
The PRO 8 team will be led by Police Major Vicente Bullecer Jr.
The police officers were underwent rapid test and other health check requisites by the Regional Health Service 8 (RHS 8).
They were also given face shields, washable and surgical face masks, gloves, alcohol and multivitamins.
The team proceeded to Ormoc City where they departed on June 18 for Cebu City.
“My only prayer is that our troop will come back here safe and sound,” Balba added.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)