Zambo woman tests positive for deadly virus

ZAMBOANGA CITY – A 64-year old woman suffering from hypertension, diabetes and pneumonia has been tested positive for the deadly novel coronavirus disease and is the 11^th case for Zamboanga City, the Department of Health announced Thursday.

It said the sexagenarian patient, who lives in the village of Santa Maria, is now admitted at the Zamboanga City Medical Center. She is now known as patient ZC-11.

This was also announced by the local government. “The Department of Health today confirms the 11th positive COVID-19 case for Zamboanga City. ZC-11 is a 64-year old female from barangay Santa Maria. She is admitted at the ZCMC and diagnosed with essential hypertension, diabetes mellitus 2 and community acquired pneumonia,” it said.

No other details were made available by health authorities.

On Wednesday, another prisoner infected with the respiratory disease also died in hospital. The 57-year old prisoner was admitted April 26 at the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) after being diagnosed with pneumonia and died late Wednesday due to congestive heart failure. He is the 10^th Covid-19 case (ZC-10) here.

A prisoner, also known by his code as ZC-09, who had tuberculosis and showed symptoms of the virus also died on April 20. Before his death, the City Health Office under Dr Dulce Miravite coordinated with the ZCMC when it received reports about the patient and immediately brought him to hospital for medical examination and laboratory testing as a protocol.  But his Covid-19 test results came out five days after his death at the same hospital.

His body was handed to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, according to Dr Justin Faber, a ZCMC spokesman, who said the City Health Office followed protocols in coordinating with the ZCMC in the case of ZC-09, the code used to tag the patient being the 9^th Covid positive case in Zamboanga City.

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.

It was unclear how the ZC-09 or ZC-10 contracted the deadly respiratory virus since the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center remains under lockdown since last month. The City Health Office has begun mass testing all prisoners to determine if any of them are infected with the virus.

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 as of April 29, Zamboanga City has a total of 11 positive cases - including the latest fatality - and 331 suspected cases, although 129 of them had been tested again and are now free from the viral infection, and 119 others are still waiting for their test results. But 2 other had died from suspected Covid-19 since last month. (Zamboanga Post)

Like Us on Facebook: The Mindanao Examiner
Like Us on Facebook: The Zamboanga Post
Follow Us on Twitter: Mindanao Examine
Mirror Site: Mindanao Examiner Blog
Digital Archives: Mindanao Examiner Digital
Media Rates: Advertising Rates