DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 25 March) – The five patients in the Davao Region who tested positive of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are now in a better condition, showing “no symptoms” of the infection.
“They are in better condition. We continue to monitor them while they are in the hospital,” said Dr. Annabelle Yumang, director of the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao Region, in a press conference on Wednesday.
The agency confirmed last Monday three new COVID-19 cases in the region, which brought to six the total number of cases.
The 21-year-old Filipina from Pantukan, Davao de Oro, the first COVID-19 patient in the region and known as PH130 (the Philippines’s 130th confirmed case), was discharged on March 23.
One of the three new cases, a 50-year-old male patient identified as PH444 who has travel history from Manila, Palawan, and Cebu, is confined at the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in Tagum City.
The other two patients, both males aged 28 and 32 and identified as PH442 and PH443, respectively, are confined at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City. Both have travel history to Manila.
The region’s second and third COVID-19 cases, identified as PH262 and PH263, were reported on March 21. The following day, they were transferred from “strict home quarantine” to an isolation facility at SPMC.
Dr. Cleo Fe Tabada, head of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the DOH-Davao, said the agency has already commenced the “contact tracing” for individuals who came in close contact with the six COVID-19 patients.
As of March 25, the DOH-Davao reported that there are now 71 persons under investigation (PUIs) confined at SPMC and DRMC and 61 discharged patients. It also listed a total of 6,771 persons under monitoring (PUMs), of which 3,589 have been cleared. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)