Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 2) — An expert from the University of the Philippines College of Public Health said COVID-19 cases are clustering among certain groups as infections continue to rise.
Kim Co, professor from the UP College of Public Health-Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, said during the Health department media briefing on Thursday that there is clustering of cases in specific groups like frontliners and government workers based on surveillance.
She added that more provinces are reporting their first COVID-19 case or continue to show an uptrend in total infections possibly linked to people going back to their provinces.
The Health department reported that as of June 30, a total of 3,390 healthcare workers have been infected, with 2,585 recoveries and 34 deaths.
Meanwhile, government agencies have been reporting cases, with the latest in the House of Representatives. This is already the 10th COVID-19 case in the House.
There are also provinces reporting first infection, like Masbate that recorded its first two cases recently.
The Health department also flagged hotspots in Central Visayas. Data from the agency show that 77.97 percent of beds for COVID-19 patients in Cebu province are occupied.
READ: Cebu private hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients
As of July 2, total confirmed cases in the country reached 38,805, with the addition of 52 fresh cases, or those detected in the last three days and 242 late cases, or those part of the validation backlog. Recoveries are now at 10,673, while deaths are at 1,274.
