Almost a month after Eastern Visayas was able to bring its number of active coronavirus cases down to 33, it saw a spike in cases again, with the regional Department of Health (DOH) reporting 465 active cases as of Friday, August 14.

The total number of cases in the Eastern Visayas is at 1,421.

Cases started rising again in the region following the repatriation of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) through the government’s “Hatid Tulong” program, which resumed on July 25.

While the majority of active coronavirus cases in Eastern Visayas are LSIs, some of the new cases had no travel history outside of their home provinces yet came into close contact with a returning resident.

All returning residents who tested positive for COVID-19 came from Metro Manila or Cebu.

Metro Manila reverted to a modified enhanced community quarantine on August 4 after healthcare workers called for a two-week “timeout.”

Cebu City, Mandaue, Consolacion, Talisay, and Minglanilla in Cebu are all under general community quarantine (GCQ), while the rest of Cebu province is under modified GCQ.

While some close contacts of the returning residents tested positive for COVID-19, community transmission in Eastern Visayas provinces is not yet widespread.

Eastern Visayas is among the least equipped to handle a widespread pandemic. (READ: Disorganized repatriation program puts E. Visayas rural healthcare at risk)

According to DOH data, there are only a total of 16 ICU beds, 60 ward beds, and 27 ventilators for the 4.4 million people in the region.

Eastern Visayas was previously named a hot spot by the DOH because of the fast-rising case numbers in the region triggered by the national government’s repatriation of LSIs and overseas Filipino workers.

The program, previously called “Hatid Probinsya,” was created to bring residents stranded in the cities back to their home provinces. It was implemented simultaneously with the now-suspended “Balik Probinsya” program of Senator Bong Go.

Go’s program provided beneficiaries with livelihood and housing assistance, in addition to transportation.

Local government chiefs, whose healthcare and isolation facilities have limited capacity, heavily criticized the national government’s lack of coordination in implementing both programs.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the Philippines breached 150,000 on Friday afternoon. – Rappler.com