THE Department of Health-Eastern Visayas reported on Saturday, October 17, a total of 73 new cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), bringing the total number of cases in the region to 5,791.
The new cases were recorded out of 1,138 laboratory samples tested in two laboratories in the region, the Eastern Visayas Regional Covid-19 Testing Center and the Divine Word Hospital Virology Laboratory.
The 73 additional cases are from Tacloban City (2); Alang-alang (1); Jaro (1); Hindang (1); Leyte (2); Villaba (1); Paranas (1); Matuguinao (1); San Jorge (4); Capul (2); Catarman (15); Gamay (3); Mondragon (9); San Jose (1); Pambujan (1); San Roque (6); and Maasin City (22).
As of Saturday evening, the region has 4,940 (85.30 percent) recoveries and 54 (0.93 percent) deaths.
This brought the total active cases to 797 (13.76 percent), according to the regional health department.
Most of the cases involved locally stranded individuals (LSIs), frontliners and close contacts.
Meanwhile, the Regional Task Force 8 versus Covid-19 reported that some 35,057 returning residents have arrived in the region from July 1 to October 15.
Those who arrived via Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban included some 6,702 returning overseas Filipinos, 16,409 LSIs and 1,077 authorized persons outside residence or a total of 24,188, said the Philippine Information Agency in the region, citing a report from Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
In the same period, the Philippine Coast Guard recorded 10,869 arrivals of LSIs in the different ports of the region. (SunStar Philippines)