The Department of Health (DOH) in Eastern Visayas is optimistic to maintain the region’s high recovery rate among coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients.

With just 40 active cases as of July 14, 2020, local government units (LGUs) in the region are on the right track in fighting the highly-contagious virus, said Department of Health Regional Director Minerva Molon in a press briefing Wednesday.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Eastern Visayas has recorded 653 confirmed Covid-19 cases, including 610 (93.42 percent) recoveries and three deaths.

The region’s 40 remaining Covid-19 patients are all staying in isolation facilities set up by towns and cities.

The high recovery rate, according to Molon, can be attributed to several asymptomatic patients.

Of all the patients in the region, 595 or 92 percent are asymptomatic, 48 have mild symptoms and only three severe cases.

The pandemic has also infected 104 health workers with 103 of them having fully recovered and are back to work. The remaining patient is asymptomatic.

“No second-generation Covid-19 transmission among our health workers in the region due to strict implementation of health protocols in isolation centers and their workplace,” Molon added.

For the first time since June, the region has not recorded any new case on Tuesday night out of the 157 samples examined by laboratories in this city.

The four who turned positive of coronavirus are second samples taken from patients who were confirmed earlier as Covid-19 carriers.

Molon said the temporary suspension on the return of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) from June 26 to July 9 as approved by the national task force, has reduced the rate of increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the region in the past two weeks.

“Hopefully, we can sustain this considering that our locally stranded individuals were subjected to testing in Metro Manila. They are not allowed to leave there if they did not undergo a rapid test,” she added.

The official added that despite rising Covid-19 cases in the past weeks, the situation is manageable since all the infected patients are captured in quarantine and isolation facilities of LGUs, hence, reducing the contact tracing burden.

The majority of LGUs in the region require returning residents to stay in quarantine and isolation facilities upon arrival.

Most of these returnees are construction workers, students, household helpers, and individuals displaced by lockdowns in Metro Manila and Cebu.

Although most of LGUs in the region are doing facility-based quarantine and isolation, Tacloban City allows home quarantine and isolation for returning residents since some families have enough rooms and separate toilets in their homes for quarantine.

The city has designated some schools as quarantine and isolation facilities for returning residents from poor families.

“And the monitoring of Tacloban is very strict. We can’t impose things on local governments if they can’t afford to do it. So, whatever isolation it may be, whether it is facility or home for as long as we are strict in monitoring, it is fine with us,” Molon said.

The health official added that they still encourage LGUs to put up additional isolation facilities in anticipation of a possible increase of Covid-19 cases in their respective areas. (PNA)