Elderly man from Iloilo City is latest Covid-19 fatality

An 80-year-old male from Lapuz district in Iloilo City is the latest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) fatality in Region 6, bringing the total death toll in Western Visayas to 12, as of Wednesday, July 15, 2020.

According to the Department of Health-Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD)-6, the patient died a day after his swabs were collected for the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.

Dr. Jane Juanico of DOH-CHD-6 said the positive laboratory results of the patient was released on Wednesday, or eight days after his death.

“The patient died on July 7. His swab samples were collected on July 6 and was only released today where he was identified as WV Patient No. 679,” Juanico said in a press conference on Wednesday.

DOH-CHD 6 is already closely coordinating with the city government for the contact tracing and monitoring of the possible close contacts of the patient.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases in Region 6 are steadily increasing with 77 new cases recorded on Wednesday.

This is the second highest single-day spike in infections recorded in the region, next to 91 cases recorded last week.

Based on Case Bulletin No. 111, the new cases are mostly locally stranded individuals (LSIs); repatriated Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW); and indigenous or local cases.

Negros Occidental recorded the highest increase of Covid-19 cases with 36 new patients; followed by Iloilo province with 21; Guimaras with 13; Bacolod City and Iloilo City with three new cases.

Meanwhile, Region 6 also logged 22 new recoveries on Wednesday that included 15 LSIs, four OFW repatriates, and three local cases.

As of Wednesday, the total registered cases in the region surged to 688 with 430 active cases, 246 recoveries, and 12 deaths. (ERS)