THE Province of Negros Oriental, which currently has the highest number of active Covid-19 cases in Central Visayas, at 3,800 as of Tuesday, June 29, 2021, remains under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status for the period of July 1-15.

Dr. Eugenia Mercedes Cañal of the Department of Health (DOH) 7’s Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit identified the two possible reasons behind the increase in Covid-19 cases in Negros Oriental—the Provincial Government’s decision to drop the negative swab test results for inbound travelers and the start of mass testing.

Cañal said Negros Oriental’s Covid-19 cases started to increase when the Province stopped requiring incoming travelers to submit a negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result in March. Inbound travelers include locally stranded individuals (Negros Oriental residents stuck in other provinces) and authorized persons outside of residence (Apor).

The other reason, she said, could be the mass testing started by the local government unit (LGU) of Negros Oriental three to four weeks ago.

“Our LGUs tested not only the primary close contacts, but also the secondary contacts of confirmed positive Covid-19 cases,” she said in a mix of Cebuano and English.

Biosurveillance