Second Covid-19 patient dies in Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY – A prisoner who was rushed to hospital had died from the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and making him the second in Zamboanga City to succumbed to the respiratory virus.

The patient died on April 20 at the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC), but this was only confirmed Saturday by the Department of Health (DOH) and announced by the local government of Zamboanga later in the day.

“He was an inmate at the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center (ZCRC). He complained of sudden shortness of breath on April 20 and was brought to the Mindanao Central Sanitarium Hospital for consultation where he was tagged as person under investigation. He was later transferred to ZCMC but passed away while at the emergency room due to respiratory failure with underlying pulmonary tuberculosis infection,” the local government said.

Health authorities begun tracing people who may have close contact with the patient - who had tuberculosis - when he was alive in an effort to prevent the spread of the deadly Covid-19.

“The ZCRC management in collaboration with the City Government is taking all necessary measures, based on protocol, to contain the spread of the virus. The CRC remains on lockdown since the start of the enhanced community quarantine last March 20,” the local government said in its announcement.

Zamboanga City remains under a strict community quarantine while the local government works on a comprehensive economic recovery and rehabilitation plan as part of its Covid-19 response structure.

The local task force on Covid-19 headed by Mayor Beng Climaco said Zamboanga has a total of 9 positive cases - including the latest fatality - and 267 suspected cases, although 107 of them had been tested again and are now free from the viral infection, and 76 others are still waiting for their test results. But 42 other had died from suspected Covid-19 since last month. (Zamboanga Post)

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