10 persons in contact with COVID-19 patient isolated

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Ten persons are now being monitored after being exposed to the 65-year-old man from Guimbal, Iloilo who tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Dr. Jay Dorin, Guimbal Municipal Health Officer, said they immediately located these individuals, after the Department of Health confirmed that one of their town mates was infected.

The 10 persons include his two sisters, his brother, another relative, a house help, and the patient’s five fellow lay ministers.

Dorin said they are now isolated and considered as persons under monitoring (PUMs).

“So far, daw wala man problema sa ila,” he said.

The patient’s wife is admitted to a hospital but the physician did not elaborate on her condition.

Dorin said they gathered the information from the patient’s brother, who is living in the same compound.

The patient’s possible exposure could be traced to his sister who went on vacation abroad and arrived in Guimbal sometime in January 2020.

Since another sister was to celebrate her 60th birthday, she was treated to a trip in Japan.

The sister from Canada and the birthday celebrant went to Japan on February 18.  They were accompanied by another sister and another relative.

They went home on February 25.

By first week of March, his sister went back to Canada.

On March 6, health authorities reported that the patient began experiencing cough and fever. He was eventually admitted to the hospital a week later.

“Our patient has not been into a lot of areas. It’s usually just home and church,” Dorin said.

His brother claimed that he was not even exposed to the patient, except for the usual greetings.

“Our patient usually stays in the terrace on the second floor of his house when he’s home,” Dorin said.

But Dorin said they will do further backtracking of the persons who came in contact with the patient 14 days before he manifested symptoms.

Even before the reports came out, the municipal government has been conducting weekly sanitation of public places in Guimbal.

“But the sanitation would now be done every day,” Dorin said, as he asked residents to also sanitize their respective homes.

As of Friday, March 20, Guimbal has 165 PUMs, with 15 already completing the 14-day quarantine.

Vice Mayor Jennifer Garin also met with barangay captains to re-echo Executive Order No. 080 (An Order Enforcing an Enhanced Community Quarantine Over the Entire Province of Iloilo for Stronger Protection Against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).