Mass testing urged in COVID-19 patients’ areas

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – The head of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) urged the Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force against the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 to conduct targeted mass testing of individuals living in areas with previous confirmed cases of the disease.

Dr. Julius Drilon head said city health officials should also return to Purok Sabes in Barangay Villamonte, the place where the city’s second fatality (Patient No. 8) resided.

Drilon also recommended targeted mass testing in Purok Bayanihan of Barangay Banago, the residence of Patient No. 9.

He said random swabbing of 50 residents must also be done in the community.

Drilon also reiterated his previous recommendation to test at least 30,000 residents in Bacolod City to know the real situation in the metro.

The city should not be complacent as the infection rate of the virus may last until December of this year, he added.

Bacolod City has a total of nine confirmed cases with two fatalities so far.

In a press statement Sunday night, Dr. Grace Tan, spokesperson of the inter-agency task force, said the COVID-19 patient who died Sunday has tested negative twice.

“Since the victim had already tested negative for the virus, and twice at that, he cannot be considered a COVID-19 fatality, per DOH protocols,” Tan said.

Mayor Evelio Leonardia added “we mourn the demise of our Patient Number 3. This the second tragedy in their family in a very short span of time after his mother, who was Patient Number 6, also passed away recently.”

“I have already personally called the sister of the victim to convey the deepest condolences of the Bacolodnons during their hour of grief,” the mayor added.

The 40-year-old male patient from Barangay Taculing had a travel history to Manila and arrived in Bacolod on March 8, 2020.

He developed cough and fever on March 15 and was isolated in a private hospital on March 19.

His first swab test for COVID-19 on March 19 later confirmed he was positive of the virus.

While in hospital, he suffered a stroke because of depleted oxygen supply to the brain due to breathing difficulty related to COVID. For this, he was intubated six days after admission.

Repeat RT-PCR swab tests were done on April 7 and 10, which yielded negative results.

On April 10, he was transferred to a non-isolation room, though still on respirator and only responding to pain stimulus. Physical therapy and nutritional rehab were also initiated in preparation for possible discharge.

On his 45th day in hospital, he suffered a fatal heart attack, Tan said.