ILOILO City – There are now 42 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Western Visayas.
Four more tested positive, according to the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 yesterday. They were the following:
* 43-year-old male from Bacolod City (Patient No. 118)
* 23-year-old male from Mandurriao, Iloilo City (Patient No. 119)
* 33-year-old female from Molo, Iloilo City (Patient No. 120)
* 31-year-old female from Murcia, Negros Occidental (Patient No. 121)
According to Dr. Jessie Glen Alonsabe, epidemiologist of DOH-6, Patient No. 118 flew to Metro Manila from England on April 23. He was tested negative for COVID-19 and was thus allowed to return to Bacolod City on May 20.
Patient No. 118’s retested in Bacolod City, however, found him with COVID-19, said Alonsabe.
On the other hand, Patient No. 119 was from Dubai. He was tested negative for COVID-19 on May 18 in Cavite and was allowed to return to Iloilo City on May 28.
He failed the retest in Iloilo City, said Alonsabe.
Patient No. 120, meanwhile, was from the United States and reached Metro Manila on April 19. She was allowed to return to Iloilo City on May 27 after testing negative for COVID-19 on May 3.
However, a retest upon her return to Iloilo found her to have the disease.
Patient No. 121 who worked in Hong Kong managed to fly to Makati City on March 28. Her first test on May 26 was negative for COVID-19.
She was allowed to return to Bacolod City on May 31 but was found to have the disease during her Bacolod retest.
“Although their tests in Metro Manila found them free from COVID-19, they may have been infected because they stayed for several more days after their tests,” said Alonsabe.
The 42 COVID-19-positive OFWs were residents of the following: Aklan (two), Antique (four), Guimaras (three), Iloilo province (six), Negros Occidental (eight), Bacolod City (six), and Iloilo City (13).
Region-wide, there were now 121 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Western Visayas as of yesterday. Of these, 84 already recovered while 10 died.
Here’s the breakdown of cases: Aklan, six; Antique, four; Capiz, six; Guimaras, zero; Iloilo province, 21; Negros Occidental, three; Bacolod City, 10; Iloilo City, 19; and repatriates, 42.
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./PN
