ILOILO – The couple who became Pavia town’s first confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke down in tears after hearing the news about their repeat test.
The test showed them already negative for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, Mayor Laurence Anthony “Luigi” Gorriceta told Panay News.
Gorriceta himself broke the good news to the couple – a 50-year-old male and his 52-year-old wife – right after having been informed by the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 about the test result on Sunday – around a week after specimens were taken from them.
“As of this moment wala na kita sang COVID-positive case sa Pavia,” Gorriceta said yesterday.
The husband was the region’s Patient No. 37 while his wife, Patient No. 38.
The couple was subjected to a “third and final test” yesterday. Results would be known in 72 hours, according to Gorriceta.
The husband and wife were not hospitalized because both were asymptomatic. A favorable result of the final test would result to their being officially taken off isolation.
Gorriceta sand another good news was the negative test results of eight persons who had close contact with the husband at his place of work, the microfinance firm Taytay sa Kauswagan, Inc. in Barangay Mali-ao, Pavia.
The couple’s two children also tested negative for the SARS-Cov-2 virus.
The husband, Peter Montalban, told Panay News he was thankful to Pavia’s local government unit led by Gorriceta for taking care of their basic needs while under home quarantine. He said it made their situation less unbearable.
Montalban agreed that his identity be disclosed in this article. He then appealed to people not to discriminate persons suffering from COVID-19.
“COVID patients did not want to get infected. We’re victims of circumstance,” said Montalban.
Instead of subjecting them and their families to discrimination, he said, COVID patients must be extended help.
The COVID-19 outbreak is everybody’s concern, stressed Montalban.
He also said he and his wife were willing to donate blood plasma.
People who have fully recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies in their plasma that can attack the virus. This convalescent plasma is being evaluated as treatment for patients with serious or immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections, or those judged by a healthcare provider to be at high risk of progression to severe or life-threatening disease.
Montalban said he had no idea where he got SARS-CoV-2. But he recalled going to Metro Manila on March 6 and returned to Iloilo a few days after.
On March 21, a Taytay sa Kauswagan colleague died – a 72-year-old make from Mandurriao, Iloilo City who became Region 6’s COVID-19 Patient No. 11. This man was actually a person under investigation at the time of his death; his positive test result came out much later. He was the first recorded COVID-19 mortality in the region
People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. 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.
As of April 19, Pavia had 51 suspected or probable cases being actively monitored./PN
