Health officer appeals to ‘missing’ PUMs to report whereabouts

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Dr. Grace Tan, spokesperson of the Inter-Agency Task Force against the corona virus 2019 (COVID-19), appealed to the 35 Persons Under Investigation (PUM) who are no longer in their residences to report their whereabouts.

PUM is a person who has no signs and symptoms of COVID-19 but has travel history to infected areas and may have been exposed to infected persons.

Tan said the IATF received reports from the Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) that the 35 PUMs residing in different areas in the city are missing.

In her update on the COVID -19 cases in the city as of  Tuesday  April 1, 2020, Tan also reported another PUI (Person Under Investigation) who died, bringing to three the number of PUI fatalities in the city.

PUIs are persons with signs and symptoms and have travel history to infected areas.

Tan said the fatality is a 42-year-old driver from Cebu who had a fever and was awaiting his swab test result but expired March 29, 2020.

Earlier, a 62-year-old female with travel history to Manila and with exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 patient died Monday morning.

The patient, who had cardiac arrhythmias and diabetes, was awaiting her swab test result when she expired.

Earlier, a 60-year-old male with stage 4 cancer passed away but tested negative for COVID-19.

Also, four persons are isolated in hospitals to date – a 40-year-old male COVID-19 positive patient in critical condition, a 27-year-old female who had been in contact with a PUM, a 60-year-old male with lung cancer and a history of travel to Manila, and a 22-year-old female health care worker (HCW).

Bacolod also has 17 HCWs with history of exposure.

Out of the 17, eight tested negative while nine have pending results, Tan said.

Also, 33 PUIs were admitted since February, 27 of whom were discharged after their conditions had improved and recovered.

Out of the 2,225 PUMS in Bacolod, 646 are under monitoring while 1,538 have completed the 14-day home quarantine.

The city has five confirmed COVID-19 cases, including one who recovered after his second swab test was negative.