COVID-19 UPDATE: 3 PUIs admitted to regional hospital

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Dr. Julius Drilon, head of the Dona Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) said Thursday that three Persons Under Investigation (PUI) for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are now in their care.

The three PUIs included a worker at the Negros Occidental provincial capitol.

Drilon urged the public not to panic.

“It is not something that you breathe and you die,” Drilon said, adding that what is important is hygiene especially regular washing of hands.

He said the regional hospital has 15 rooms for PUIs.

CLMMRH has limited hospital visits.

Dr. Grace Tan of the Bacolod City Health Office said there are 19 Persons under Monitoring (PUM) in the city.

PUIs are patients with symptoms and with history of travel to China including Hong Kong and Macau and other infected areas and had exposure to a positive case.

PUMs are patients with no symptoms but with history of travel to infected areas and exposure to a positive case.

Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson confirmed Thursday that a staffer of a provincial board member is under monitoring for COVID-19.

“Maybe we can say PUM (Person Under Monitoring),” Lacson said.

But Lacson told reporters in a press briefing at his office that “it is nothing to be worried of.”

Lacson said there was no established contact between the capitol staff and the councilor in Dumaguete City who tested positive for COVID-19.

The capitol staff and the councilor in Dumaguete attended the same convention in Manila last week.

Lacson said that the capitol worker was taken to CLMMRH for swab test after suffering from flu-like symptoms.

“It is a simple case of flu but she has to take the (swab) tests,” Lacson said, adding that she will then be advised to go home for quarantine.

All staffers at the offices where the PUM is designated were also instructed to go home and wait as well for the result of their swab tests.

All the offices were also disinfected.

Meanwhile, Lacson said that he was invited by the Association of Chief Executives here to their meeting on March 17, 2020.

He said he will consult the mayors on whether to cancel or push through with the Panaad Festival amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lacson also confirmed that some mayors have said they are for the cancellation of the festival.

As part of the preventive measures against COVID-19, the use of biometrics machine at the provincial capitol was suspended effective Thursday.