Iloilo town students in quarantine due to COVID-19

By John Noel Herrera

Forty-one students in Estancia, Iloilo are under quarantine after a classmate tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) chief Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, on Thursday, June 8, 2023, said she received reports from the Department of Health (DOH) that the students are currently in an isolation facility after being validated by medical staff, while the infected individual is in home quarantine.

“We have received reports from the Department of Health nga may 41 students nga gin-validate nga sa aton centro nga gin-quarantine sa isolation facility sa Estancia. Out of these, 23 lalaki (males), 8 babayi (females), all 13 years old, second year high school and in one section,” Quiñon said.

Data also revealed that among the students, only one has been boosted; 35 have completed their primary series of vaccinations, and three were unvaccinated.

Quiñon added that the students would have to undergo Random Antigen Test (RAT) at Jesus M. Colmenares District Hospital (JMCDH) as part of confirmatory testing, while seven were symptomatic (four females and three males).

“Tanan nga suspects and probable cases of COVID-19 must undergo confirmatory testing before ma start ang COVID-19 treatment regimen, kun wala pa available ang aton nga RT-PCR pwede nga ang pasyente ma undergo na lang Rapid Antigen Test for immediate management of symptomatic cases,” Quiñon explained.

The PHO chief also clarified that the students could have been subjected only to home quarantine and they were not part of A1, A2, A3 COVID-19 classifications, but their houses did not meet the qualifications set by the DOH.

“I-isolate lang naton sila immediately tani and sa balay nila lang kung ang requirement for isolation are met. But ang natabo galing sa 41 ka kabataan, upon inspection of RHU, wala ma met ang ila balay sa criteria kay damo sila upod sa balay, that’s why gin quarantine na lang sa isolation facility,” Quinon said.

Meanwhile, the Local Government Unit of Estancia and its rural health unit (RHU) are currently conducting contact tracing to avoid the further spread of the virus.

Data from DOH-6 Center for Health Development (CHD) indicated that Iloilo province currently has 1,748 active COVID-19 cases with 25 cases reported on June 8, 2023 alone.