By Roel Catoto
GENERAL LUNA, Siargao Island - After several months of having no single recorded case of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed one case in Del Carmen town here on the island.
DOH Caraga Director Dr. Jose R. Llacuna, Jr. confirmed the first case in Del Carmen town in Siargao Island.
Vice Mayor Alfredo Coro Jr., of Del Carmen town said the patient was a locally stranded individual (LSI) who came from Cebu.
Dr. Terrence Kua, who was assigned to disclose information at the Provincial Health Office in Bad-as, Surigao del Norte, also said that the 19-year-old female patient arrived on the first week of June on the island. Kua said she travelled along with her two siblings from Cebu.
They left Cebu on June 5 via 2GO boat and arrived at the Nasipit Port in Agusan del Norte the following day. They left Surigao City at 6 am on June 8 aboard M/V Vince Gabriel to Dapa Port.
Kua said, upon arrival on the island, the siblings were placed under home quarantine at the house of their grandmother in Del Carmen. They underwent a rapid test on June 24.
Kua said only the female patient, who was also asymptomatic, tested positive for COVID-19. They are confined at the quarantine facility in Bad-as, Placer town in Surigao del Norte
Llacuna said the number of COVID-19 cases in Surigao del Norte continues to surge.
As of June 29, 2020, Llacuna said, COVID-19 cases in Caraga Region continued to increase with a total of 138, as of June 29, according to DOH-Caraga.
Of the five provinces comprising Caraga Region, Surigao del Norte province tops the list with a total of 35 confirmed positive cases.
Meanwhile, Agusan del Norte has 25 cases; Agusan del Sur has 15 cases, Surigao del Sur has eight cases, and Dinagat Islands has no confirmed case.
In six cities of Caraga, Butuan has the highest number of COVID-19 cases with 34 cases, Surigao has eight, Bislig has six, Cabadbaran has five, and Bayugan and Tandag have one case each.
Coro said they already conducted local contact-tracing since last week.