COVID STILL SPREADING: DSWD employee, two cops positive for coronavirus

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

The province and the city of Iloilo recorded three new cases of local transmission of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Tuesday including a national government agency employee and two police officers, according to the Department of Health-Center for Health Development Western Visayas (DOH-CHD 6).

In a bulletin issued on Tuesday, DOH-CHD 6 said the three government workers are part of the six new COVID-19 cases in Region 6.

One of the six new cases is a 30-year-old male (WV Patient No. 148) from the town of Igbaras in Iloilo province.

According to Dr. Marie Jocelyn Te, medical coordinator for emerging and reemerging infectious diseases of DOH-CHD 6, the patient is an employee of the Department of Social and Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“The patient is a DSWD personnel, naglibot -libot siya sa mga barangay,” she said in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Citing his travel history, Te said the patient left the town on May 29, 2020 and travelled to Iloilo City.

He was subjected to confirmatory testing on June 8 as part of the mass testing initiatives of the local government of Igbaras after one of its municipal councilors tested positive for COVID-19.

“Naabay siya sa mass testing sang June 8 after nga nagpositive si WV Patient No. 114,” Te said.

The DOH-CHD 6 confirmed that WV Patient No. 148 is a local transmission case of COVID-19. He is asymptomatic and under facility quarantine.

Meanwhile, Iloilo City also recorded two new cases of local transmission involving two police officers – a 32-year-old male from La Paz, Iloilo City (WV Patient No. 149) and a 22-year-old male from Lambunao town in Iloilo province (WV Patient No. 151).

The new case from La Paz district was assigned to the area security outside the premises of Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao district in Iloilo City since April 16.

“He was assigned sa palibot sang WVMC and naga-board sa La Paz district in Iloilo City. He is currently asymptomatic and under facility quarantine in Iloilo City,” Te said.

WV Patient No. 151 from Lambunao, who is also a police officer, was assigned as patroller at Mandurriao Public Market. He reported for duty to the Westown Hotel in Mandurriao on June 6.

Te said the patient might have travelled from Iloilo City and Lambunao on a regular basis.

“We are still confirming if nagapuli-puli gid man siya but currently he is under facility quarantine in Lambunao,” she added.

Contact tracing of the three new cases of local transmission has already started.

Aside from the three new indigenous cases, Region 6 also reported three COVID-19-infected repatriates from Mandurriao, Iloilo City (WV Patient No 150), Binalbagan, Negros Occidental (WV Patient No. 152), and San Carlos City, Negros Occidental (WV Patient No. 153).

The repatriates are currently asymptomatic and under facility quarantine.

Meanwhile, two new recoveries were also recorded in the region – a repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from Talisay City, Negros Occidental (WV Patient No. 97) and Makato, Aklan (WV Patient No. 109).

The total cases in the region as of Tuesday are 153 with 39 active cases, 103 recoveries, and 11 deaths.