BACOLOD CITY – The city government of La Carlota in Negros Occidental is looking into the case of a locally stranded individual (LSI), who did not disclose his real destination, upon entering the province early this month.
According to a recent Facebook post of the local government unit, the LSI came from Oton, Iloilo, who declared to the provincial border officials that his destination was Bago City.
He was swabbed at the port of disembarkation last August 1. The following day, his swab test results came out indicating that he’s positive for COVID-19.
The province in coordination with the local government units (LGUs) helped search for him in Bago City, but to no avail.
The La Carlota City government then found him on the same day in one of the barangays in the city, and was immediately brought to the isolation facility. He was asymptomatic.
After 10 days of isolation and upon release of the negative result of his repeat swab test, he was allowed to go home by August 11.
Fortunately, none among his household members was infected as shown by their negative swab test results.
Over the weekend, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) informed La Carlota City that the genome sequencing done on the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the concerned individual showed that he was infected with the COVID Delta variant.
“It is with deep sadness to inform you that the COVID-19 Delta variant has breached the borders of La Carlota City,” Mayor Rex Jalando-on said in a statement dated August 29.
“With his deception, he did not coordinate with La Carlota City to be quarantined. Instead, he went home straight to one of our barangays in the city,” the mayor added.
Jalando-on said he immediately instructed the barangay and the COVID team to put the LSI and his entire household on lockdown again and ordered a repeat swab test on all of them on August 30.
Genome sequencing is conducted automatically on an RT-PCR if the cycle threshold (CT) value of a positive result is low.
Unfortunately, the release of genome sequencing results take many days after the test was undertaken.
It has been 27 days after the LSI has been tested to be positive for COVID Delta variant and 18 days after he was released from the isolation facility, Jalando-on said.
From then to date, no one tested positive at the barangay.
Jalando-on appealed for the cooperation of everyone, as he is hoping that this kind of transgression is not duplicated.
Rest assured the city government is undertaking stringent measures to contain COVID-19 transmission in the community, especially of its more infectious variants, he said.