Two close contacts of COVID-19 fatalities test positive for virus

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

Two new additional cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were recorded in Western Visayas on Thursday.

The new cases are close contacts of confirmed cases from Miag-ao, Iloilo province and Roxas City, Capiz who died from COVID-19, according to the Department of Health-Center for Health Development in Western Visayas (DOH-CHD) 6.

In a bulletin issued on Thursday, DOH-CHD 6 confirmed that a 63-year-old male from Roxas City, Capiz is the 41^st case in the region. He was labeled as WV Patient No. 41 and a close contact of two confirmed cases from Capiz.

Dr. Ma. Sophia Pulmones, spokesperson of DOH-CHD 6, said that the patient had exposure to WV Patient No. 20 and WV Patient No. 33 who are both from Capiz. WV Patient No. 20 passed away on March 28.

Health officials in Capiz conducted contact tracing of all persons who were exposed to the patient and they are now under home quarantine.

Pulmones said the patient remains admitted in a hospital and in critical condition.

“The patient is admitted in a hospital. He is in a critical condition and may ara man siya co-morbidities,” she said in an online briefing on Thursday.

On the other hand, a 22-year-old male from Miag-ao, Iloilo labeled as WV Patient No. 42 also had exposure to WV Patient No. 34, according to Pulmones.

“He is a close contact of a previous case from Miag-ao. The patient is asymptomatic and under home quarantine,” Pulmones said.

In a phone interview on Thursday, Miagao Mayor Macario Napulan confirmed that the new case from Miag-ao is the grandson of the 94 year-old-male from the town who passed away last April 8.

“Ang bag-o nga kaso ang apo sang second case diri sa Miag-ao nga napatay sang ligad. Siya ni ang gabantay sa iya lolo sa ospital,” he said.

According to Napulan, the patient including his family has been isolated in their home while their barangay has been placed under lockdown.

“Sang nagpositive ang ila lolo, we already placed them under quarantine. They were asymptomatic since April 1,” he said.

Napulan said they still cannot establish the source of the transmission of the virus as the grandfather had no exposure to a positive case and had no travel history in places with confirmed cases.

“Katingalahan gid indi ko ma-correlate kon diin nila nakuha ang virus. Ang lolo nila wala man nagwa sa ila balay and wala man travel history. Wala gid kami kabalo kon sin-o naglaton kay lolo,” he lamented.

Despite the linking of the new cases to the confirmed ones, Pulmones said there is still not enough basis to declare that there is local transmission in Miagao in Iloilo province and in Roxas City, Capiz.

“Ini sila close contact sang household sang positive case. Transmission occurred in the same household or very close contact nga mahambal naton nga direct physical contact. There is still no data na maconfirm that there is local transmission,” he said.

The total Covid-19 cases in the region is now at 42 while recoveries and fatalities remain at 7.

Iloilo province recorded the highest cases at 16 with four deaths; Bacolod City (7) with one death; Iloilo City (5) with one death; Aklan (6); Capiz (5) with one death; Antique (2); and Negros Occidental (1). (With a report from Felipe V. Celino)