BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – The city’s COVID Patient 9 was not admitted to any hospital after she was swabbed middle of this month and was brought to a medical facility only after her test results turned out positive 24 April.
City physician Ma. Carmela Gensoli told DNX that Patient 9, a woman aged 65 in Banago village, reported having a cough only on 3 April and went to the city’s Bacolod Respiratory Outpatient Center and was swabbed for a PCR sample only on 17 April.
Her positive test results came back late last week.
“She appeared mainly asymptomatic,” Gensoli said but added that health authorities had already had her placed in a medical facility.
The inter-agency task force had also started swabbing people who had contact with the patient in the coastal and densely-populated village of Banago.
IATF spokesperson and city doctor Grace Tan said they have already swabbed the family members and will finish swabbing neighbors of Patient 9. (READ: IATF probes local transmission angle in Patient 9 case, neighbor of Patient 8 positive in rapid test but relatives negative)
Village chief Ricky Mijares told DNX a 30-meter exclusion zone had already been set up around the patient’s house, and the other occupants had already been moved to a quarantine facility, a school several kilometers away from the village.
The sub-village has an estimated population of 6,000, Mijares said, Banago being one of the largest villages here based on number of voters.
NO TRAVEL HISTORY
Mijares said since she was swabbed, the patient was not taken to a quarantine facility as she was asymptomatic.
It was only last night that she was taken away from her residence.
The woman had not travelled anywhere else but Mijares said she used to go with her husband on the public utility jeepney that he drives.
NO MOA YET
As this developed, Gensoli said the patient was not yet admitted to the Bacolod Queen of Mercy Hospital (formerly Bacolod Our Lady of Mercy Specialty Hospital) in Mandalagan that City Hall had earlier said had agreed to dedicate its entire South Wing – consisting of 34 rooms – for exclusive use of indigent patients referred by the LGU with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.
Gensoli said a meeting is scheduled today between City Hall and hospital officials to discuss the use of the facility, which the city said will be called the Bacolod City Respiratory Referral Center.
