58 kids in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu City shelters test positive for COVID-19

Thirty-one residents and two personnel of the Homecare Center for Children in Lapu-Lapu City, as well as 27 minors living in a shelter in Cebu City, have tested positive for COVID-19.

City Information Officer Mark Bautista told Rappler on Tuesday, August 10, that the 31 children at the Lapu-Lapu homecare – more than half of the center’s 60 tested residents – are asymptomatic.

“We’ve yet to confirm if it’s the Delta variant,” Bautista said.

The 27 other COVID-19 cases are youth residents of a nonprofit shelter in Barangay Talamban in Cebu City, Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, deputy chief of the Cebu City Emergency Operations Center, told Rappler in a text message.

Lapu-Lapu Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan earlier announced that the Delta variant was detected in at least 10 barangays in the city. All 23 cases have recovered. (READ: COVID-19 in Metro Cebu: Latest situation and developments)

City epidemiological and surveillance unit (CESU) officer Grace Carungay said a resident scheduled for release was the first found positive for the virus after taking the real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.

All other residents and staff then took the same test, she added.

Chan and other officials checked on the children on Monday, August 9.

“Nagdala kita og doktor para makahatag kanila og instruction kung unsay ang mga angay buhaton kung anaa silay mga balatian samtang anaa ra sa sulod ug gihatagan nato sila og lain-laing vitamins para ma boost ang ilang immune system ug mapadali ang ilang pagrecover,” said Chan in a Facebook post.

(We brought doctors to give them instructions on what to do when they feel symptoms while they are staying inside and we also gave them different vitamins to boost their immune system and to hasten their recovery.)

Bautista said that the children are being monitored in a well-ventilated part of their facility.

Containing COVID-19 spread

With Lapu-Lapu City’s active COVID-19 cases now reaching more than 1,600, Chan said on Monday, August 9, that he was eyeing granular lockdowns to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Chan made the statement came after health experts recommended putting the city under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

“Mao ning atong tan-awon how we handle it, we need to balance gyud, ug ato sab tan-awon ang atong panudlanan, naa ba ‘ta igong pondo if we will have this ECQ, kay mohatag man gyud ta og ayuda,” Chan said

(We’ll look into how we handle it. We really need to balance, and we also have to see if we enough funds to impose ECQ, because we really have to give aid)

Chan said granular lockdowns would be “within the city’s budget.”

“Gitan-aw nato nga posibleng makaya, kaya nato sa syudad, and we already have names of these patients kinsa tong naay Delta Variant,” added Chan.

(We are looking into possible options that we can do in the city, and we already have the names of these patients that had the Delta variant)

The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) has so far recorded 1,679 active COVID-19 cases, 7,751 recoveries, and 211 deaths in Lapu-Lapu City. – Rappler.com