By Bonita Ermac
ILIGAN CITY – This city’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Task Force announced Iligan’s first COVID-19 positive patient in a press conference held at the Mayor’s Office, Tuesday night.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
City Health Office Chief Dra. Cherlina Cañaveral identified the patient as PH492. He became the second COVID-19 case in Northern Mindanao.
PH492 is a male, 46 years old and a native of Masiu town in Lanao del Sur.
According to Canaveral, PH492 fled the violence caused by the Marawi siege three years ago, and came to settle in Iligan City.
Last March 9,, he was admitted in one of the hospitals here due to pneumonia with chief complaint of fever, cough and difficulty of breathing.
As per validation there was no known exposure to a confirmed case. But it also showed that the patient had pre-existing conditions of Chronic Cardiac Disease, Chronic Renal Disease and Diabetes Milletus.
Cañaveral said patient PH492 had history of travel from Thailand through Kuala Lumpor, Malaysia last February 25 via Air Asia, and arrived in the Philippines on March 3.
The patient was initially discharged, but still remained in the facility for quarantine for further observation and intervention.
"Actually, he was supposed to be discharged dahil nag-improve na siya, but because of the result which was positive, pina-stay muna siya for more days until he will be really well", Cañaveral said.
Having said that PH492 was improving. "Nag-improve ang pasyente according to oir atyending physicia. It will be a good success story to tell if he'll fully recovered hopefully", she said.
The Department of Health (DOH) is conducting contact tracing and heightened disease surveillance through the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT).
As of March 23, 2020, the Department of Health Center for Health Development Mindanao, recorded a total of 208 PUIs of which 17 were currently admitted and were tested negative and discharge, said DOH regional representative Jasper Ula.
All tests were performed by Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City.
In addition, out of 208 PUIs recorded, there were 114 under home quarantine, while 38 were able to complete the quarantine period.
Of the 3,129 PUMs recorded as of March 23, a total of 1,254 undergoing a 14-day quarantine while 1,875 have completed.