ILOILO City – A personnel of the city government’s Iloilo City Emergency Responders (ICER) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Because of this, according to Mayor Jerry Treñas early last night, ICER would temporarily stop responding to calls for emergency assistance.
The ICER personnel was among the frontliners who recently underwent COVID-19 mass testing.
Right after being informed of the test result, Treñas ordered contact tracing in a bid to stop further virus transmission.
The COVID-19-positive ICER personnel was also immediately placed on quarantine.
According to the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), the rest of the ICER staff would also be quarantined and tested.
The resumption of ICER’s operation would depend on the results of the tests, it stressed.
For now, where should people seek emergency help?
According to the CDRRMO, people should contact the Bureau of Fire Protection Iloilo City at telephone numbers 337-6918.
The ICER personnel is the eighth confirmed COVID-19 case in the city. The seven others were:
* 51-year-old female from La Paz (region’s Patient No. 55)
* 77-year-old female from Jaro (region’s Patient No. 48)
* 44-year-old male from La Paz (region’s Patient No. 40)
* 59-year-old male from Mandurriao (region’s Patient No. 34)
* 44-year-old male from Jaro (region’s Patient No. 17)
* 61-year-old from Mandurriao (region’s Patient No. 3), recovered
* 72-year-old male from Mandurriao (region’s Patient No. 11), died.
Prior to Treñas’ confirmation that one ICER personnel tested positive for COVID-19, the Department of Health reported early afternoon yesterday it had not recorded a positive case for the day in the whole Western Visayas.
It said all the 136 specimens that were analyzed at the Western Visayas Medical Center Sub-National Laboratory tested negative for SARS-CoV-2.
Based on DOH Region 6’s Case Bulletin No. 32 issued yesterday, the region still had 62 confirmed cases, with nine mortalities.
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.
Most people (about 80 percent) recover from the disease without needing special treatment, according to the World Health Organization.
Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness./PN
