By Tara Yap
ILOILO CITY – After initially reporting that the island province of Guimaras had its first positive case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Health (DOH) has made it clear that the island province has had no case of the dreaded viral disease reported.
Based on the latest bulletin from DOH Western Visayas regional office, it lists zero case of COVID-19 for Guimaras.
This came after a May 2 report from the DOH was met with outcry from Guimaras residents and officials.
To recall, a 27-year-old made from Buenavista town was one of five repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Iloilo City.
But the infected OFW has yet to physically set foot in Guimaras, and has been in isolation in Iloilo City since arriving last April 29.
And yet, a DOH report said Guimaras had just recorded its first COVID-19 case.
Vice Governor John Edward Gando challenged the DOH to produce its basis for reporting that the province had just recorded its first coronavirus case.
The DOH has previously explained it was due to the permanent address of the person, but Gando cited the case in Antique province. The DOH did record a 74-year-old man from Metro Manila as Antique province’s first COVID-19 case when he tested positive after flying in to Semirara Island, the country’s largest coalmine.
The Western Visayas regional office of the DOH did not issue a clarifying statement, but only released a modified COVID-19 case bulletin.