ILOILO – All family members of this province’s first case of the Delta variant of the virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Cabatuan town tested negative for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
These included the mother, an in-law, a child, and sibling of the 32-year-old patient who got infected with the Delta variant last month. To note, the patient passed away due to kidney failure.
As to the town’s health responders, “wala man close contact” with the case, said Mayor Ronilo Caspe.
He also pointed out that the patient tested negative for COVID-19 before she died.
“Ang i-contact trace gid man dapat ang sa hospital,” Caspe said, referring to the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao district where the woman was hospitalized.
“Ang pamilya gin-convince ko lang magpa-swab…para magkampante ang tawo kag para ma-secure man sila,” Caspe added.
The family members underwent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test on Saturday.
The patient was admitted to WVMC on June 27 for difficulty of breathing caused by renal failure and hypertension. Prior to hospitalization, she was subjected to RT-PCR test. She tested negative for COVID-19.
On July 8, a patient at the ward where the woman was admitted tested positive for COVID-19. Thus she was tagged a close contact and swabbed again; she tested positive.
The female’s specimen was sent to the Philippine Genome Center in Manila on the same day (July 8).
On July 23 (two weeks after), the female underwent another RT-PCR test. She yielded a negative result and was discharged on July 26.
The following day, the female was re-admitted due to difficulty of breathing. She was swabbed anew but tested negative for COVID-19.
The female died July 29 some hours before the PHO received the result of her July 8 swab that she was found a carrier of the Delta variant./PN
