4 tested positive for Covid-19 in Zamboanga Peninsula

PAGADIAN CITY – The Western Mindanao region now has four cases of coronavirus after officials announced Monday that 3 people were tested positive for the deadly respiratory disease in Zamboanga Peninsula bringing to four the number of those infected.

Three new cases were reported Monday in Labangan town and Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province, and one more in Zamboanga City.

Police appealed to the public to stay calm as it confirmed reports of the new cases – a 52-year old man in Labangan town and a 62-year old woman in the capital city of Pagadian. Both patients had travelled history in Manila and returned home separately on commercial plane on March 14 and March 8, respectively.

“Dalawang positibong kaso ng Covid-19 ang kumpirmado sa munisipalidad ng Labangan at Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur. Ang mga pasyente ay patuloy na inoobserbahan.”

“Huwag magpanic at manatili lamang sa inyong mga tahanan habang isinasagawa ng Department of Health ang mga protocol upang maiwasan ang pagkalat ng virus sa rehiyon. Mag-ingat po tayong lahat,” the regional police said.

The whole region, composed of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga City, and Isabela City in Basilan province, has over 160 persons under investigation, or PUIs, - those that show symptoms of cough, colds and fever with a travel or contact history to countries or person that is affected with Covid-19.

The latest cases bring to four the number of Covid-19 positive in the region after Zamboanga City registered 2 since last week.

A woman from Zamboanga City who also travelled to Manila and returned here was tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Mayor Beng Climaco on Monday.

“Our second case is a 48-year old female from Barangay Tumaga with history of travel from Manila. She is currently confined in the Covid-19 Isolation Room of West Metro Medical Center.”

“Due to strict measures and protocols implemented by the hospital administration and its health workers, the patient was screened early, has been isolated since the screening and is being managed well,” she said.

Climaco said the woman will be transferred to the Covid-19 facility at the Zamboanga City Medical Center.

“As this develop, we request residents to remain calm and not panic. The local government, West Metro, and health authorities are following protocols for the proper handling of our second case and has initiated contact tracing,” she said without further elaborating.

Climaco has renewed her appeals to residents to stay at home to prevent infection and spread of the virus.

Last week, a 29-year old man who returned here from Manila was also tested positive for the Covid-19, and is now placed under a strict quarantine. The man, who works as an engineer, arrived on March 13 on a Philippine Airline flight PR 2993.

The man was swabbed for Covid-19 testing after he went to the West Metro Medical Center on March 16 for mild symptoms of the respiratory disease.

The local government imposed an enhanced community quarantine since early this month to stop the spread of the virus that has infected over 1400 people in the country and had already killed over 6 dozen more, mostly in metropolitan areas in Luzon which is now in total lockdown.

Zamboanga now has 22 persons under investigation, or PUIs, and over 1700 persons under monitoring, or PUMs.

And PUM are those with travel and contact history to countries or person that is affected with Covid 19 but not displayed any symptoms and is advised to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine at home to be monitored by health workers.

The Covid-19, now a global pandemic, broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year, and quickly spread to over 100 countries with China recording over 81,000 infections and more than 3,200 deaths.

The local government has imposed a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Shops, offices and schools remain closed, except for pharmacies, supermarkets, grocery stores, markets, bakeries, medical clinics, delivery services, water stations, food and medical manufacturing and processing plants, money shops, commercial banks, utilities and telecommunication facilities and some restaurants which are strictly selling only food-to-go. (Zamboanga Post)

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