Patient dies while awaiting COVID test result

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

A resident of Jaro, Iloilo City died on July 17, 2020 while awaiting the result of his coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test result, according to the Department of Health-Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-WV CHD) on Sunday.

But the hospital where the patient died, The Medical City Iloilo (TMCI) in Molo district, stated on its Facebook page Sunday that the patient had already tested positive for the disease via Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing.

The patient was admitted to the hospital on July 10.

Dr. Maria Jocelyn Te of DOH-WV CHD said that while the patient had already tested positive in the antibody Immunoglobulin G (IgG) test, the confirmatory test results were still “pending”.

Te did confirm that the patient was immunocompromised, referring to the TMCI’s statement that the patient died from “bacterial infection and metastatic lung cancer”.

“The nurse said that the patient was a mere suspect case because the laboratory results hadn’t come out yet. They didn’t say he tested negative [in the RT-PCR tests], but he tested positive in the rapid tests. He was [swabbed] because he may have been going in and out [of a COVID hospital]. The point there is that he was immunocompromised,” Te said.

Te also said that the DOH informs the hospital and the local health office of the new cases, not the patient.

She added that the DOH conforms with confidentiality rules and it would be the hospital who would inform the patient and their family.

“The rule so far is that, when a patient tests positive, the hospital will inquire for the attending physician. Granting that he was at a government [hospital], they will ask for the infectious [diseases] head. If it’s private, it would be the attending physician because there are private consultants. They would be the ones to break the news to the patient. But in that case, where the patient is a bit sick, of course the family [would also be informed. The DOH doesn’t inform patients directly (sic). We course them through the LGUs because it is their responsibility so they can conduct contact tracing. Because there is confidentiality, it would be the in-charge who would inform them,” she said.

Te said she was surprised because she was not informed when the patient died, and that she only learned of the death through a radio broadcast.

“No one informed us on the [on July 17], because we show it on our bulletins when they are admitted and asymptomatic. I only learned of the death through [a local radio station]. They just told me that a patient died. I was confused,” she said.

Meanwhile, several houses at barangay Benedicto, Jaro where the patient lived are under lock down.