Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development received today the results from Vincente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC). All eight samples are negative for COVID-19. The negative results were from suspected cases and currently admitted in the referral hospital, provincial hospital and private hospital in the region.

Department of Health – Eastern Visayas Center for Health Development announces that out of the 35 samples sent to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu, two (2) turned-out positive for COVID-19. The fourth confirmed case is a 56-year-old, female, from Tarangnan, Samar and the fifth confirmed case is a 32-year-old, female also from Tarangnan, Samar. Both new cases were in contact with the second confirmed case from Calbayog City.

On March 13 this year, the University Administrative Council convened to suspend classes and order a work from home scheme for all VSU campuses amid the #COVID-19 pandemic. VSU President Edgardo E. Tulin already laid out some plans and strategic actions that will help protect the VSU community from the spread of the virus while also ensuring the welfare and providing basic needs of stranded students, frontliners and our people.

One of the strategic objectives of Philippine National Health Research System (PNHRS) for 2019-2022 is to strengthen the capacity of the network to support health research. To address this objective, the PNHRS Capacity Building Committee (CBC) created the Collaborative Research and Capacity Building Initiative which will integrate the capacity building efforts of the implementing agencies, regional consortia, and member institutions. Harmonizing the efforts in research capacity will result in better use of resources which will contribute to the development of evidence-informed health decisions, programs, and policies.