ILOILO – This province has so far recorded eight cases of the more contagious Delta variant of the virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to the Provincial Health Office (PHO).
These were the cases and their current status:
* 23-year-old female from San Joaquin, health worker, recovered
* 26-year-old male from Alimodian, locally stranded individual, recovered
* 37-year-old female from Pavia, nurse in an Iloilo City hospital, recovered
* 37-year-old female from Banate, hospital maintenance personnel in Iloilo City, recovered
* 53-year old male from Oton, husband of a nurse in an Iloilo City hospital, recovered
* 20-year-old male from Oton, son of a nurse in an Iloilo City hospital, recovered
* 23-year-old male from Santa Barbara, hospital maintenance personnel in Iloilo City, still active case
* 36-year-old male from Concepcion, seafarer or returning overseas Filipino worker, recovered
According to Dr. Ma. Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, acting head of the PHO, the nurse who was the wife and mother of the Delta cases in Oton tested positive for COVID-19. However, her specimen sample is yet to be sent to the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) for genomic sequencing.
Quiñon said the specimens of most of the abovementioned cases were sent to the PGC in July.
“Most likely ari na gid sa aton ang Delta variant, nagalibot-libot lang,” said Quiñon. “That’s why careful lang sa gihapon.”
“Ipaumod lang gid anay ang (non-essential movement). Mas lala subong ang sitwasyon kay indi ‘ta kabalo kon ano nga variant,” she added.
The PHO has also yet to ascertain the source of infection of the cases. However, PHO’s data showed that most of the cases were working or relatives of those working in the hospitals.
Quiñon said they could not discount the possibility of the cases acquiring the virus from hospitals.
Presently, backtracking by Municipal Health Officers is underway.
SANTA BARBARA CASE
According to Quiñon, they have referred the 23-year-old male from Santa Barbara town to an infectious disease specialist.
He still tested positive for COVID-19 despite undergoing several repeat tests, said Quiñon.
In an interview with Panay News, Santa Barbara’s Mayor Rema Somo confirmed that the patient was swabbed four times – July 14, July 23, July 30, and Aug. 3.
“Kaapat na sia gin-swab test pero nag-positive sa gihapon. Asymptomatic gani ini ang aton patient,” Somo said.
The mayor said the family members were “low risk” as the patient was not staying in Santa Barbara when he tested positive for COVID-19. However, they were being monitored by the local government.
The patient is currently recuperating at the hospital where he was working.
It learned that he was a close contact of another hospital worker who tested positive for COVID-19.
As of this writing, Iloilo province had 10 total confirmed Delta cases.
The two others were the 32-year-old female from Cabatuan town (died) and the 46-year-old male from Barotac Nuevo, a seafarer who was isolated in Metro Manila.
GET VACCINATED
Quiñon is encouraging all Ilonggos belonging to the A1 (healthcare workers), A2 (senior citizens) and A3 (persons with comorbidities) priority groups to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Kinahanglan gid nga magpabakuna kay nakita ta man ang cases, indi lang sa Iloilo province kundi sa iban man, nga ang naga-positive amo man ang wala nakapa-bakuna,” said Quiñon.
As of Aug. 8, 160,825 persons in this province have already completed their vaccination – 11 percent of the target population.
To attain herd immunity, the PHO targets to inoculate 1,448,757 residents or 70 percent of the total provincial population./PN
