Nine OFWs positive in COVID-19 rapid test

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

Mayor Jerry Treñas ordered the lockdown of a hotel in Iloilo City that serves as a quarantine facility for repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) after nine of them tested positive in the rapid antibody testing for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

In a press conference on Thursday, Treñas announced that the nine repatriated OFWs – seven from Iloilo City and two from Guimaras – flunked the test.

But the mayor said they are still awaiting the results of the Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test which is considered the gold standard in COVID-19 testing in terms of reliability compared to the rapid antibody test.

“We will be placing the hotel under lockdown. Indi anay sila kagwa unless ma-release ang results nila sa polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test,” he said.

The nine repatriates are among the 175 OFWs who arrived in Iloilo City Wednesday after being stranded in Manila for almost a month because of the Luzon lockdown.

A total of 35 OFWs who are residents of Iloilo City and five from Guimaras were billeted to a hotel in Iloilo City for the 14-day quarantine.

The OFWs were subjected to rapid testing upon their arrival. Their swab samples were also taken for the PCR testing.

175 OFWs from Panay island and Guimaras arrived in Iloilo City on Wednesday morning.

Out of the 175 OFWs, 68 are from Iloilo province, 37 are from Aklan, 18 are from Antique, 12 are from Capiz, and five are from Guimaras.

OFWs from Guimaras, Iloilo City, and Iloilo province were transported to a hotel for quarantine.

Treñas expressed concern over the repatriated OFWs. He said he already appealed to the Department of Health Center for Health Development in Western Visayas (DOH-CHD 6) to prioritize and hasten the release of the laboratory results of the repatriated OFWs.

“Naghambal ako to sa DOH nga i-prioritize anay ang mga nag-alabot nga OFWs. May ara pa gid kuno maabot and I don’t know what will happen,” he said.

Around 227 returning OFWs were ferried by a 2Go vessel from Manila to the ports of Bacolod City and Iloilo City, according to the Regional Interagency Task Force in Western Visayas (RIATF).

The RIATF 6 said the repatriated OFWs were negative for COVID-19 in the initial test.

Meanwhile, the health department said the laboratory results of the repatriated OFWs remain pending at the subnational reference laboratory.