Why Cebu City is under ECQ again

(UPDATED) A high critical care utilization rate, a case doubling time of about one week and widespread transmission of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in 13 barangays are among the reasons for the escalation of quarantine restrictions in Cebu City, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Tuesday, June 16.

In his regular virtual press conference, Roque said Cebu City had 2,810 coronavirus infections as of June 14, the highest in terms of number of actual cases and cases per million among cities.

The city, which is considered the biggest economic hub in the Visayas, reverts to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) for the period June 16 to June 30, 2020, after a two-week general community quarantine (GCQ) status.

Roque said case doubling rate has been computed at 6.63, which means that cases doubled in less than seven days.

Three out of four barangays, or 61 of Cebu City’s 80 barangays, have active coronavirus cases. Roque said 13 of these have been worst hit.

The transmission rate, or the average number of people infected by an infectious individual, is 1.3 which is higher than the national average of 1.07.

Testing positivity rate is 33 to 36 percent, Roque added. This means that one out of three individuals tested for the novel coronavirus, or Sars-CoV-2, yields a positive result.

In terms of critical care utilization as of June 14, Roque showed the following:

• Four out of five, or 45 percent, of mechanical ventilators are in use. There are 60 mechanical ventilators in Cebu City hospitals at present.
• All 27 intensive care unit (ICU) beds currently assigned for Covid-19 patients are occupied.
• Nine out of 10, or 90 percent, of isolation beds are occupied. There are 399 isolation beds in Cebu City hospitals at present.
• Ninety-three (93) percent of the 133 ward beds in hospitals are being used.