Bicol records highest spike in COVID-19 cases, all returning residents

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – Bicol’s Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) on Tuesday, July 7, confirmed 24 new cases of coronavirus, the most recorded in the region in a single day. 

The spike in cases comes a few weeks after the region opened its borders to locally stranded individuals (LSIs) from the National Capital Region (NCR) and Calabarzon. (READ: Legazpi City prepares a table for the quarantined)

All of the new cases are LSIs: 11 from Masbate, 8 from Camarines Sur, 3 from Albay, and two from Catanduanes.  The cases from Masbate all came from NCR, and the youngest among them is a 3-year-old boy from Batuan town.  

On Friday, July 3, Bicol’s Inter-Agency task Force on Emerging Infections Diseases Bicol IATF) requested the national task force to allow the region to suspend the return of LSIs,  noting that the influx of returning residents coincided with a rise in virus cases. They also pointed out that majority of the local government’s quarantine facilities could no longer accommodate the new arrivals.

The IATF has yet to act on the request. 

CamSur request 

Following the spike in virus cases, Camarines Sur Governor Miguel Villafuerte asked President Rodrigo Duterte to temporarily cancel all flights at Naga airport.  

The governor lamented that some passengers who presented medical certificates negative for COVID-19, turned out positive after rapid testing by the provincial incident management team. 

Bicol has 190 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, 

As of Monday, July 6, 26 of Bicol’s virus cases are in hospitals, 55 are under quarantine, 79 recovered, and 6 died.

Albay has seen the most cases with 79, followed by Camararines Sur with 73, Masbate with 16, Sorsogon, 9, Catanduanes, 7, and Camarines Norte, 6.

The Philippines on Tuesday, July 7, recorded 47,873 total cases, with 1,309 deaths and 12,386 recoveries. – Rappler.com