BACOLOD CITY - The provincial government of Negros Occidental confirmed on Wednesday its first coronavirus disease (COVID-19) fatality.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II confirmed that the fatality was a 77-year-old boat captain from San Carlos City.
He passed away at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) here on Monday, Diaz said.
According to the city government of San Carlos, the patient was rushed to San Carlos City hospital on July 20 after suffering from difficulty in breathing, and body malaise.
Two days later, he was referred to CLMMRH here, where he died due to complications while being treated at the intensive care unit.
The patient worked as a ferry boat captain in one of the shipping lines operating between the ports of San Carlos City and Toledo City, the city government in a statement, said.
Diaz said the patient’s swab test results came out last Friday, indicating that he tested positive for COVID-19.
All those identified to have close contact to the patient, including his co-workers aboard the ferry, and others in a government facility were swabbed for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test by the Provincial Health Office.
Diaz said that about 30 health workers at the San Carlos City Hospital were also swabbed for RT-PCR testing.
Meanwhile, the province has a total of 416 COVID-19 cases, as of July 28.