COVID cases among kids alarm authorities

Fourteen children including a one-month old baby boy in Jaro, Iloilo City were infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), according to Jeck Conlu, COVID-19 Team spokesman and head of the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO).

The one-month-old baby boy is the youngest COVID-19 case in Iloilo, so far.

Conlu said the baby was infected by his grandmother who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of the disease.

“Ang lola niya symptomatic that is why gin-swab siya because probable case siya,” he said in a virtual press briefing on Monday.

Currently, the baby is under facility quarantine together with his mother who also awaits her laboratory results.

From Aug 10-16, 2020, Iloilo City has recorded 201 COVID-19 cases, mostly local cases (88%) or those with no travel history outside Western Visayas.
Out of the 201 cases, seven percent or 14 of the cases are “pediatric,” involving children aged 18 years old and below.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas has expressed his concern over the increase of the pediatric cases recorded in the metro.

He underscored the need to focus on the city barangays to prevent the transmission of the virus.

“May mga concerns kita sa cases kay ang mga nagaguluwa nakit-an naton-bag-o nga trend-mga bataon may nakita kita as young as one month old amo na nga dapat barangay gid ang dapat gid tutukan para matapna ang paglapta sang COVID-19,” he said.

City barangays which recorded a surge of COVID-19 cases have been placed on surgical lockdowns to limit the movement of people.
Recently, the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) was imposed on Iloilo City.

Under the GCQ, movement of persons belonging to the vulnerable sectors such as those aged 60 years old and above; persons below 21 years old; pregnant women; persons with comorbidities and other risk factors and persons with disabilities will be limited to accessing basic food, commodities, and medicines.

Meanwhile, Conlu appealed to the public especially those belonging to the vulnerable sector to follow the protocols and stay at home.

“Damo gihapon mga senior citizens nagaguwa so gaappeal gid kami sa mga kabataan sang senior citizens kon pwede indi na pagpagwaon ang more than 60 years old. Ginastudyuhan man namon kon ngaa damo minors nga infected,” he noted.

 

MORE LOCAL CASES IN WV

103 new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Western Visayas were reported by the Department of Health (DOH-WV CHD) on August 17, 2020, leading up to a total of 2,895 confirmed cases in the region.

Local cases take up almost all new cases at 101, or 98 percent, while the remaining two are Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROF).

Broken down per city or province of residence, Iloilo City had the highest number of new cases with 37, followed by Bacolod City and Iloilo province with 18 each, Negros Occidental province with 17, Guimaras province with 8, Capiz province with 4, and Antique province with 1 new case.

Based on symptoms, 100 of the cases are asymptomatic, 2 had Severe Acute Respiratory Infection, and 1 had Influenza-Like Illness.

Seventeen new recoveries were also recorded with no new death.

A total of 975 laboratory results were released on August 17 from six DOH-accredited laboratories across the region.

The tally of active COVID-19 cases in the region according to DOH data are at 1,602, while recoveries are at 1,255, and deaths at 38.

 

NEW REPORTING SCHEME

The DOH-WV CHD also continued to address concerns on its new reporting template, which does not include any indicator of patient identity.

The previous template presented the patients’ code, sex, age, residence, and status.

DOH-WV CHD Regional Epidemiologist Jessie Glen Alonsabe said that this was based on an advisory by the DOH Central Office.

“As per DOH Advisory dated August 17, 2020, in reference to general instructions of the [DOH] Central Office, which states that, standardizing regional case bulletins, the [DOH-WV CHD] has adapted the new reporting template for COVID-19 daily case bulletins. This template was introduced in the August 14, 2020 case bulletin, and hence, that will be used accordingly,” Dr. Alonsabe said. (Joseph B.A. Marzan and ERS)