TACLOBAN CITY – Eastern Visayas has 11 new coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases, bringing its total to 611, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Wednesday night.

In a press statement, DOH Eastern Visayas director Minerva Molon said these are part of the 447 swab results from the region’s two Covid-19 testing laboratories, of which 15 turned positive, including the repeat test of four patients from Leyte and Northern Samar provinces.

“The patients are confined in their respective local isolation facilities for monitoring and treatment but will be transferred to a higher health care facility if further management is needed,” she said.

Of the newly reported cases, five are from Lavezares town in Northern Samar – four were locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in Metro Manila and a new local case with no travel history.

Five more residents in Southern Leyte have been infected, three in Padre Burgos town, all LSIs who return home from Ormoc City, Makati City, and Bohol and a returning overseas Filipino worker in Sogod.

Leyte has two new cases, one each in the towns of Capoocan and Albuera, both LSIs from Caloocan City and Cebu, respectively.

They will be tagged as the region’s Patient Nos. 601 to 611, Molon said.

The regional office also reported that seven more patients have recovered from Covid-19, bringing the region’s total recoveries to 493 or 80.69 percent of the total confirmed cases.

To date, the region has 115 active cases and three deaths from Leyte, Biliran, and Samar.

“Everyone has a role to play to break the chain of transmission. Practice minimum health standards, such as wearing a mask, physical distancing, proper handwashing, cough etiquette, and healthy lifestyle,” Molon said.

The majority of the confirmed cases in the region are returning residents – 394 are LSIs, 53 are OFWs, and three are Balik Probinsya, Balik Pag-asa program beneficiaries while the remaining 161 are local cases.

More than 90 percent of the infected patients are asymptomatic, Molon said. (PNA)