CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews / 23 March) — Ten persons under investigation (PUIs) who were admitted at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) here were declared negative of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Sunday, giving medical workers at the government-owned hospital a sigh of relief.
Dr. Adriano Suba-an, Department of Health-Region 10 director, issued the announcement, noting that among those tested negative was the wife of Patient No. 40 (PH40), who died due to COVID-19 at the hospital last March 13.
This was the biggest positive news in the fight against COVID-19 in Northern Mindanao and a welcome breather for the NMMC staff who are now working on 12-hour shifts.
City health teams disinfect establishments along Cruz Taal, Cagayan de Oro on March 23, 2020 to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). MindaNews photo courtesy of Cagayan de Oro CIO
Suba-an said the patients who tested negative came from Oroquieta City with one, two from Ozamiz City, one from Bukidnon, one from Camiguin Island and five from Cagayan de Oro.
The ten were sent for treatment at the NMMC, the regional hub for the fight against COVID-19.
Dr. Jose Chan, NMMC chief, said only 10 patients, including the daughter of PH40, remained confined in isolation at the hospital.
Chan said the 10 remaining PUIs are in stable health conditions.
“Only one of them is experiencing coughs and fever but it is nothing serious,” Chan told reporters.
He said their medical personnel were attending to 20 patients in the isolation ward at one point last week.
Chan said their staff is working on 12-hour shifts and teams were designated to attend to the COVID-19 cases.
He said the team who took care of PH40 had just finished their 14-day quarantine while another team was being readied to replace them.