KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 7 May) – Two more suspected COVID-19 patients, including a mother who just gave birth, have died in Soccsksargen or Region 12, bringing the death toll to 29, a Department of Health (DOH) official said Thursday.
General Santos Drive, a main thoroughfare in Koronadal City, is deserted as the city implements “No Movement Sunday” on 19 April 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19. MindaNews photo by BONG S. SARMIENTO
Arjohn Gangoso, DOH-12 health education and promotion officer, said the 21-year-old mother from General Santos City died due to acute respiratory failure days after giving birth to a boy through Caesarian operation last May 2.
“The mother showed symptoms of COVID-19 such as cough, sore throat and difficulty in breathing before she died,” he said in a phone interview.
She started showing the symptoms last May 4.
Gangoso said the baby boy is under observation and will be subjected to tests if he will show symptoms of the coronavirus disease.
Health workers are still awaiting the laboratory results of the mother’s specimen.
She died last Tuesday, May 5.
The other suspect COVID-19 death involved a 70-year-old female from South Cotabato province who died last April 28 due to “acute respiratory failure secondary to acute hemorrhagic stroke.”
She was tested negative of COVID-19.
Of the 29 reported deaths across the region, one was tested positive for COVID-19, 24 negatives, one result still pending and three had no specimens collected, DOH-12 data showed.
Gangoso said the two latest fatalities had no recent travel histories to areas with known COVID-19 cases.
But both General Santos and South Cotabato have confirmed COVID-19 cases acquired by the patients from other areas, including Davao City.
South Cotabato has three confirmed COVID-19 cases, all of whom have recovered, while General Santos has one.
The Gensan COVID-19 positive patient, PH3669, had recovered but the DOH-12 reported recently that he tested positive again for coronavirus disease.
PH 3669, the 11th COVID-19 confirmed case in Region 12, was reported positive again on May 4 following the oropharyngeal swab (OPS) taken last April 28.
He has been placed since then under strict home quarantine, Gangoso said.
In total, Soccsksargen recorded so far 16 positive cases of COVID-19, one of whom had died while 14 others have recovered.
Only Sarangani province has no confirmed COVID-19 case so far in Soccsksargen, which also includes the provinces of North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat and the cities of Koronadal, Tacurong and Kidapawan. (Bong S. Sarmiento/MindaNews)
