Zambo announces first PUI death

ZAMBOANGA CITY – A local woman tested for coronavirus after showing symptoms of the dreaded disease has died, government and health officials announced Sunday.

Officials said the woman, whose name was not released to the public, was buried immediately. She died even before the result of the medical test could come out, although the woman was admitted in a private hospital where she died from acute respiratory failure, among other complications.

The 57-year old woman, officials said, had travelled to the United Kingdom and came home in January and was rushed to hospital just recently. She was diabetic, according to Dr Dulce Amor Miravite, head of the City Health Office.

The woman, Miravite said, was considered a PUI or person under investigation. She said Zamboanga now has over 2 dozen PUIs, however, 10 of them were tested negative and the others are still waiting for the results of their examination from the Department of Health-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (DOH-RITM). More than 500 people are also being monitored, or PUMs, by health authorities.

A PUI is a person that shows symptoms of cough, colds and fever with a travel or contact history to countries or person that is affected with Covid- 19, and being admitted in the hospital for observation. On other hand, a PUM is a person 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.

“As of March 22, Zamboanga City recorded 29 PUIs of which, 1 has died but not considered as Covid-19 case yet pending result of tests by the RITM. 10 of the PUIs were tested negative while 10 are with pending testing results and the remaining 9 have been swabbed with specimens sent to RITM,” Miravite said.

Zamboanga is now under an enhanced community quarantine and the local government has imposed a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Shops and offices are also 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.

Mayor Beng Climaco said classes and school activities in all levels will remain suspended and mass gatherings prohibited, including religious gatherings. 

She said a work from home arrangement shall be implemented, except the police and military, health and emergency frontline services, border control, financial institutions, power and water, and telecom utilities and other critical services. 

“A strict home quarantine shall be observed in all households; movement shall be limited to accessing basic necessities; and there will be heightened presence of uniform personnel to enforce quarantine procedures. For this purpose, only two individuals per household will be allowed to leave their homes. Barangay officials shall be directed to monitor compliance with this policy,” she said.

Climaco said funeral services shall be made available, however, immediate burial is advised. She said the movement of cargoes within and into Zamboanga City shall be unhampered, also land, air and sea travel of uniformed personnel, government officers and members of the local Task Force Covid- 19, especially those transporting medical supplies, laboratory specimens related to the Covid-19, and other humanitarian assistance. 

The Philippines has at least 380 Covid-19 cases with over two dozen deaths, according to latest DOH data. (Zamboanga Post)

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