ILOILO – A 65-year-old female and a 60-year-old male residents of Cabatuan town diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) died in separate hospitals in Iloilo City on Sept. 20.
With no history of travel to areas with COVID-19 cases, the two senior citizens were considered local cases.
Mayor Ronilo Caspe, however, confirmed that the two frequently visited hospitals for checkup prior to being diagnosed with COVID-19.
He thus suspected that the two cases contracted the illness from the hospitals.
The 65-year-old female was taken to a private hospital in Iloilo City on Sept. 13. She was swabbed as part of the hospital’s standard operating procedure.
Two days after, her swab result was released – she was positive for COVID-19.
On the other hand, the 60-year-old male was hospitalized on Sept. 14. He was swabbed, too, and the result was released on Sept. 19 – a day before he died.
Contact tracing has been launched.
Caspe reminded his constituents to follow minimum health standards – wearing of facemask and face shield, observing physical distancing and washing of hands with soap and water or disinfectant.
“Ginapangabay ko gid ang aton mga pumoluyo nga kon indi lang man importante ang paggwa sa balay, magpabilin na lang anay sa sulod balay para ma-minimize ang risk nga matapikan sang virus,” said Caspe./PN
