ILOILO City – The number of repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Western Visayas who tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rose to 46 over the weekend with four more new confirmed cases.
One repatriate died on Saturday, too – a 39-year-old male resident of Anilao, Iloilo (Patient No. 115) who had worked in Spain.
The four new OFW COVID cases, currently under quarantine, also brought to 125 the total number of cases in Region 6, according to the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6.
These four new cases were the following:
* 37-year-old male from Bacolod City (Patient No. 122)
* 35-year-old male from Balasan, Iloilo (Patient No. 123)
* 40-year-old-male from San Joaquin, Iloilo (Patient No. 124)
* 28-year-old-male from Lezo, Aklan (Patient No. 125)
They were tested negative in Manila where they were stranded due to the quarantine, this was why they were allowed to return to Western Visayas.
So why did their retest here yield COVID-positive results?
DOH-6 epidemiologist Dr. Glen Alonsabe said these OFWs were likely exposed to persons with COVID-19 in Manila after their tests, perhaps because they were not immediately transported to the region and had to extend their stay there for several more days or even weeks.
The total 46 COVID-positive repatriated overseas workers were from Aklan (three), Antique (four), Guimaras (three), Iloilo province (eight), Negros Occidental (eight), Bacolod City (seven), and Iloilo City (13).
As for Patient No. 115 who died, Alonsabe said the repatriate returned to Iloilo from Spain in early March but left for Manila to process his papers; he got stranded there due to the community quarantine.
It was only on May 27 that Patient No. 115 was able to return to Iloilo.
His death brought the total COVID-19 mortalities in the region to 11, said Alonsabe.
The last COVID-19-related death in the region was recorded on May 3 – a 40-year-old man from Bacolod City.
Anilao’s Mayor Lee Ann Debuque confirmed the death of Patient No. 115 yesterday on Facebook. There would be an investigation “to know the reason for his death.”
“Based on the daily monitoring of our Rural Health Unit, he was in stable condition,” she said.
The local government will be extending financial assistance to the family of the deceased.
According to Alonsabe, Patient No. 115 showed only mild symptoms of COVID – fever and cough.
“Indi man tama gid iya sintomas. Wala man sang chest pain,” said Alonsabe.
He did not discount the possibility of a cardiac arrest.
Alonsabe also said the body of Patient No. 115 would be cremated within 12 hours after death as required by the health safety protocols that DOH set, thus an autopsy would be impossible.
COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December 2019.
The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales.
These droplets also land on objects and surfaces around the person. Other people then catch COVID-19 by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough.
Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell.
There is still no vaccine for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the total 125 confirmed cases in Region 6 (as of June 7) were from Aklan (six), Antique (14), Capiz (six), Guimaras (zero), Iloilo province (21), Negros Occidental (three), Bacolod City (10), Iloilo City (19), and repatriates (46).
Of these 125 cases, only 26 remained active as of yesterday, according to DOH-6, because 88 already recovered while 11 died.
Alonsabe reminded Western Visayans to continue wearing facemask, observing physical distancing and frequent handwashing.
He also urged senior citizens (those 60 years old and older) and youngsters below 21 years old to stay at home as ordered by the national government’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases./PN
