Eastern Visayas region (Region 8) has reported 85 active Covid-19 cases, the lowest number recorded since the height of pandemic, according to the Department of Health (DOH) regional office here.
DOH regional office information officer Jelyn Lopez-Malibago said on Tuesday the current active cases only account for 0.17 percent of the total, but this does not mean that the region must relax its observance of health protocols.
“We continue to record a decline of Covid-19 cases in the region. However, this does not give us the reason to be complacent since the virus is still present. The pandemic is far from over. That is why DOH continues to remind the public to follow the minimum public health standards and submit to the vaccination,” Malibago said in a message sent to the Philippine News Agency.
Of the 85 active Covid-19 cases, 24 are in Samar province, 20 in Leyte, 16 in Tacloban City, 10 in Southern Leyte, seven in Eastern Samar, four in Biliran, three in Northern Samar, and one in Ormoc City.
On Tuesday, the region recorded just three new confirmed Covid-19 cases out of the 269 samples examined by three laboratories. The region registered a positivity rate of just one percent.
Malibago attributed the significant reduction of cases to the vaccination rollout.
Since the start of the regular vaccination rollout on March 5, 2021, health workers have administered vaccines to 2.25 million residents in Eastern Visayas out of the 3.36 million target population.
The region’s six provinces have already recorded 51,389 Covid-19 cases since the pandemic broke out, including 50,681 recoveries, and 623 deaths.
Source: Philippines News Agency