The Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday  it is monitoring new clustering of COVID-19 cases in a number of barangays in Cebu City, and  saw a sudden spike in coronavirus infections.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, during a virtual press briefing, said the agency has deployed a group of experts to look into the emergence of these new clusters of cases in Cebu City.

“We continue to monitor the clustering of cases across the country. Yes, we have new clustering of cases in the province of Cebu specifically in areas in Cebu City with the different barangays,” Vergeire said.

Lockdowns have been eased in several areas except for Cebu City  which is placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and Talisay City which is now under modified ECQ (MECQ) due to high transmission rate, and the increasing demand for critical care.

Based on data from the DOH, the following are the top 10 barangays with new clustering of cases seen between June 5 to 18, 2020:

• Lahug (59 cases)
• Pardo (42 cases)
• Sambag II (42 cases)
• Labangon (39 cases)
• Bulacao (31 cases)
• Basak San Nicolas (30 cases)
• Sambag I (29 cases)
• Tinago (29 cases)
• Carreta (28 cases)
• Inayawan (28 cases)

She added that that the group of experts is determining what causes the emergence of these clusters of cases in Cebu.

“Maraming assumptions ngayon. Pinapunta natin ang ating team doon so that they can really do the epidemiologic investigation,” Vergeire said.

The entry of returning overseas Filipino workers, the infections in jails, and the expanded testing capacity in the area are among those that are being looked into, she added.

Central Visayas, where it is located, is the region with the second highest cases of infection, next to the National Capital Region.

Cebu City is considered the epicenter of the contagion in Central Visayas, which as a region now has a total of 4,832 confirmed COVID-19 cases, over 66 percent or 3,216 of which were recorded in the Queen City of the South./Stacy Ang