By Marie Tonette Marticio TACLOBAN CITY - Three new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases were confirmed by the Department of Health (DOH-8) on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases to 31 in Eastern Visayas. Out of 180 samples tested by the Eastern Visayas Regional Testing Center, 179 tested negative, while one was positive for the virus from Tarangnan, Samar. Patient EV 29 is a 50-year old female. Two beneficiaries of the first batch of the "Balik Probinsiya" Program from Baybay City and Tanauan, both in Leyte who arrived last May 21 tested positive for the disease. Patient EV 30 is a 26-year old male from Tanauan, and Patient EV 31 is a 28-year old male from Baybay City. DOH-8 regional director Minerva Molon said both are asymptomatic and are admitted in their local isolation facility. She said they were swabbed upon arrival in Palo, Leyte, and their samples were sent to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City. Some local government units preferred to have them retested at the Divine Word Hospital COVID-19 Testing Center in this city. Dr. Lesmes Lumen, the provincial health officer said the beneficiaries of the program have not undergone COVID testing prior to their travel to Leyte. "We have different expectations because we were informed that these 'Balik Probinsiya' individuals have health clearances and were tested in Manila only to find out that they were not. That's why we had to do the swabbing before they were sent to their respective LGUs," he said. He added that the rest of the swab results from the returning residents have not yet been released. "What we have to do is strengthen the process in areas and possibly we have to do the contact tracing by getting the manifesto from the public transport that the passengers used. We will do our best to trace and identify these persons," he said.