CAGAYAN – Even the isolated Calayan Island, considered the safest town in the province of Cagayan, has now recorded a case of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Calayan is the only island municipality among the Babuyan Group of Islands, which is situated several miles north of Aparri. It is also considered a center of trade, and a beacon tourism among the secluded islands.
But it seems that not even its isolation could protect it from COVID-19.
According to Cagayan Officer-in-Charge Provincial Health Office Dr. Carlos Cortina III, two young men in Calayan have tested positive for the coronavirus.
The first patient, tagged as CV283, was a 32-year-old man, who was a locally stranded individual (LSI) from Poblacion, Calayan.
He arrived in Cagayan on July 18, and was swab-tested on July 21, which came back positive.
He was asymptomatic, and already in the Magsidel quarantine facility of the Calayan local government.
The second case was that of a male 21-year-old resident of Cabudadan, Calayan, tagged as CV284. He was an LSI, who came from Quezon City, and arrived in Cagayan on July 18. He underwent a swab test on July 21, and tested positive Saturday, July 25.
Also asymptomatic, he was likewise taken to the Magsidel quarantine facility.
It was also found out that he had contact with CV227 who was positive for the virus from Piat, Cagayan.
Contract tracing by various agencies is currently underway to determine the close contacts of the two positive patients in Calayan, particularly those who were with them on the boat on their way home from Cagayan on July 17.
Meanwhile, Cagayan has already recorded 56 active cases out of 125 confirmed cases. There has been 69 recoveries and one death.