BUTUAN CITY -  Twelve more persons have tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Butuan City, the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) reported on Wednesday afternoon.

Butuan City Mayor Engr. Ronnie Vicente C. Lagnada has ordered the temporary closure for six days starting August 26 of the Mayor Salvador L. Calo Supermarket, also known as the “Langihan Public Market” which is one of the big markets in this region’s premier and frontier city, as local transmissions of the COVID-19 continue to increase.

Lagnada said some of the new COVID-19 patients announced by the DOH-13 were stall owners and vendors in the supermarket. 

“As of August 26, 2020, DOH Caraga reports receipt of 30 RT-PCR confirmatory results from the GeneXpert TB Reference Laboratory of Butuan Medical Center where 18 tested negative and 12 turned out positive for the COVID-19 virus,” the DOH-CHD said.

The negative RT-PCR results are from high-risk individuals who had positive Rapid Antibody-based Tests, health care workers, and close contacts of previously confirmed cases.

Of the 12 positive cases, 83 percent or 10 are close contacts of previously confirmed local transmission cases while 17 percent or two are additional local transmission cases. Both are health care workers. 

Fifty percent or six belong to ages 20-40 years old; the youngest is 5 years old, and the oldest is 72 years old. As to sex distribution, 58 percent or seven are females while 42 percent or five are males. 

All new confirmed cases are from Butuan City and came from the following barangays: Ambago (1), Bonbon (1), Doongan (1), Holy Redeemer (3), Libertad (4), Limaha (1) and San Vicente (1). 

Half of the patients are asymptomatic while the remaining cases have exhibited mild to moderate symptoms. 

Asymptomatic cases are strictly monitored in the designated quarantine facilities while symptomatic patients are in the hospitals for management, the regional office of DOH-CHD Caraga Region 13 said. 

To date, COVID-19 confirmed positive cases in Northeastern Mindanao or Caraga region now totals 481 with 337 (70 percent) recoveries that have been discharged and released, 140 (29 percent) are active cases, and 4 (0.9 percent) deaths. 

“Isolation is a critical step to mitigate COVID-19 transmission.  Even at the least suspicion of having COVID-19 related symptoms (such as fever, cough, colds, loss of sense of smell or taste and diarrhea), individuals should isolate or do self-quarantine to protect themselves and their loved ones,” DOH 13 Regional Director Dr. Jose R. Llacuna, Jr. said. 

“Likewise, even without symptoms but exposed to suspect, probable or confirmed cases, it is a safe measure to carry out,” he said. 

“At this point, vigilance of our health and adherence to health protocols are constantly being called for particularly in Butuan City,” Llacuna added.