BATANES – The provincial government here confirmed the province’s first coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case, Tuesday, September 29, after a locally stranded individual (LSI), who recently returned to the province, was found to be positive for the deadly virus.
According to an official bulletin released by authorities, the patient was a 29-year-old male, who had travel history from Sta. Rosa City, Laguna, and returned to Batanes last September 22 onboard a Philippine Air Force repatriation flight.
It was the first-ever confirmed COVID-19 case in the island province since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March.
According to officials of the provincial government and the Department of Health in Region 2 (DOH 2), the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result was relayed to this province from Tuguegarao City on Tuesday.
The patient was asymptomatic, and is now under strict isolation at a local resort.
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All close contacts of the patients are already being traced, while other LSIs, who arrived with him, are now being closely monitored by the provincial COVID-19 task group.
With the province’s first confirmed infection, authorities have called on local residents to observe minimum health and safety protocols.