By Glazyl Masculino
BACOLOD CITY - Five new cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were reported here, while one was recorded in Negros Occidental.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, chairman of the Bacolod Inter-Agency Task Force against COVID-19, said that patients infected by the virus here were four overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and a locally stranded individual (LSI).
Familiaran said that the LSI was a 38-year-old female from Barangay Estefania. She came from Manila and arrived here via a sweeper flight on May 26.
She was tagged as Patient No. 23 here, who completed the 14-day mandatory quarantine in a facility prior to the release of her swab test results.
She was the seatmate of a COVID-19 patient from Barangay Alijis during the repatriation trip, Familiaran said.
He, however, said that the patient from Barangay Alijis was already scheduled for discharge after he already tested negative for COVID-19 in his repeat swab test.
The vice mayor said that 26 houses were initially sealed off in Barangay Estefania to prevent the spread of the virus while contact tracing was ongoing. The patient, who was asymptomatic was already transferred to a quarantine facility.
The four other OFW patients, who were asymptomatic came from the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. They are all currently quarantined in a facility here.
Patient No. 24 was a 40-year-old male who was first tested negative for the virus in Manila on May 23, but tested positive here in the repeat swab test. He arrived here on June 5, and is currently on his 13th day of quarantine in a facility.
Patient No. 25 was a 38-year-old female who returned here on June 9 via a mercy flight from Manila, where she was initially tested negative for the virus and was quarantined for nine days there. Then she was subjected to another swab test here, indicating positive results.
Patient No. 26 was a 35-year-old male seafarer who arrived here on June 9 via sweeper flight. He was also initially tested negative in a swab test in Manila, but tested positive for the virus when he came home.
Patient No. 27 was a 37-year-old male who also underwent a swab test in Manila, indicating negative results, but tested positive here in the repeated swab test.
The city has 27 COVID-19 confirmed cases, as of June 18, 2020, with 12 recovered patients.
Meanwhile, the provincial government also announced that the latest case of COVID-19 was a 30-year-old male from Hinigaran town. The 28th COVID-19 case in the province was an LSI from Cebu, who is asymptomatic and presently on a strict home quarantine.