TWO coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients from Leyte have died, the Department of Health (DOH)-Eastern Visayas confirmed on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

The new fatalities were identified as a 74-year-old female from Dulag town who died on August 11 and an 80-year-old male locally stranded individual (LSI) from Ormoc City who died on August 7.

The female patient, tagged as EV-1296, had no history of travel and exposure but with pre-existing condition. She was admitted in a private hospital on August 6 and tested positive during the time of her death.

The Ormoc patient, known as EV-1217, arrived in Ormoc without proper coordination from the local government unit and developed symptoms like difficulty of breathing on August 6.

He was transferred to a community isolation unit before his result came out on August 8.

"Sa kasalukuyan, nagka-conduct ng contact tracing at further investigation ang LGU ng Ormoc at Dulag pati na ang DOH hinggil dito habang inaantay natin ang opisyal na report galing sa hospital," the regional health department said.

With the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the region, DOH-Eastern Visayas said it will strictly enforce localized lockdowns and Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (Code).

"Ang Code ay patient-and-community-focused kung saan ang DOH ay mag-aassist sa mga LGUs through community engagement activities to promote preventive behaviors at para na rin ma-address ang pagtaas ng ating mga kaso sa pinaka-ugat o source nito," the health department said in a statement.

Meanwhile, DOH-Eastern Visayas called for cooperation of the different government agencies and the public, saying the battle against Covid-19 needs "whole-of-government, whole-of-system, whole-of-nation approach."

As of Wednesday afternoon, the region has a total of 1,363 Covid-19 cases with 927 recoveries and six deaths. (SunStar Philippines)