By Emme Rose Santiagudo and Joseph B.A. Marzan
The health department is not discounting the possibility of local transmission of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Western Visayas due to the surge of people who came home from Metro Manila recently.
Dr. Jane Juanico, head of Infectious Disease Division of the Department of Health – Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) 6, said that while local transmission is not yet confirmed, it can still be possible in the region.
“Of course possible, kay may nagpululi kita from Manila and we don’t know kon ang mga nagpululi nga na may mild na nga infection and may nahawaan but as of now indi pa ta na ka-conclude because halos tanan ta gid nga kaso may travel history gid sa Manila,” Juanico said in a phone interview on Sunday.
As of March 28, DOH-CHD 6 has confirmed 16 cases of Covid-19 in the region from Bacolod City (5); Iloilo province (4); Iloilo City (2); Aklan (3); Capiz (1); and Negros Occidental (1) with one fatality from Iloilo City.
Juanico said most of the cases in the region had travel history to Metro Manila where they possibly contracted the virus.
“As of now, kadam-an sang mga cases from Manila. Amo na ginalantaw naton nga source of infection but sa iban cases nga unknown ang travel history ginalantaw naton kon may exposure sila sa relatives nila nga probably infected man,” she said.
Two of the positive cases are under close monitoring due to co-morbidities, according to Juanico.
“Two patients are now under close monitoring. They are Patient No. 7 who is a 40-year-old male from Bacolod City with travel history to Manila and Patient No. 16 who is a 70-year-old male from Iloilo province with no history of travel but history of exposure is for verification and known case of chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD) and diabetes,” Juanico said.
The health department is also validating Patient No. 11, a 59-year-old female from Iloilo province with no exposure to positive case or travel history, an indication that this can be a case of local transmission.
“Wala siya travel history or exposure but we are still validating that data kay ginalantaw pa naton kon may iban pa na kaso sa sina nga mga area sang acute respiratory infection,” she said.
According to Juanico, local transmission is confirmed in a certain area if the source of infection of a positive case cannot be traced.
“Meaning may ara kita nga na-confirm positive pero indi matrace ang source of infection so ibig sabihin may ara mild infection nga nakapanghawa sila so may iban nga nagmanifest symptoms nga nagsevere sila,” she said.
It can also mean that the virus is present in certain places or objects and can be contracted by the public, Juanico added.
“It is very possible kay syempre may mga mild kita nga kaso nga wala dayon nakita nga positive sila so probably may mga na-contaminate sila nga objects nga natandugan sang vulnerable population naton,” she said.
Juanico also warned of the expected increase in COVID-19 cases in the region due to the presence of testing centers and increase of admissions in health facilities.
“Expect gid kita nga mas mataas pa gid ining cases naton kay gasulod pa lang ang mga datos naton and we have increasing admissions man sa mga health facilities naton,” she said.
Data from DOH-6 indicated that patients under investigation (PUI) in the region numbered 312 while persons under monitoring are 44,309.
PUIs are persons with travel history to places with confirmed local transmission showing signs and symptoms of COVID-19 while PUMs are persons with travel history to places with confirmed local transmission but are asymptomatic.
The operations of Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao district as a subnational testing laboratory for diagnosing COVID-19 tests has also been an advantage in the region, as it hastened the release of confirmatory results of suspected cases.
“Sa subong mas dasig kita nakarelay sang aton result and makadecide kita dayon ano ang ubrahon sa mga positive cases especially sa pag-initiate sang contract tracing,” Juanico said.
The results of 70 individuals remain pending at the WVMC.
THREE NEW CASES
The Department of Health confirmed three new cases of COVID-19 in Western Visayas on Saturday, bringing the total tally to 16.
The 14th confirmed case is a 28-year-old male from Bacolod City, with travel history to the United States of America.
The 15th confirmed case is a 41-year-old female from Negros Occidental, a known hypertensive and asthmatic with travel history to Manila and Davao City. She is currently in stable condition in a hospital.
The 16th confirmed case is a 70-year-old male from Iloilo Province with no history of travel, but has a known case of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and diabetes. The history of his exposure to positive cases is still being verified by the DOH.
The DOH also added that the 72-year-old male from Iloilo City who tested positive for COVID-19 died on March 21, 2020, not March 19 as it earlier reported.
