DAGUPAN CITY –– A person, who had been listed as a patient under investigation (PUI) for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) died on Wednesday afternoon at the Region I Medical Center.
Anna de Guzman, Pangasinan provincial health officer, said the 68-year-old patient came from the United States.
De Guzman said the patient died while they were waiting for the result of the laboratory test done by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
The patient’s body had been cremated as recommended by local health officials.
“There is a delay in the laboratory test results because of the volume of swab samples being tested at the [RITM], and we can’t wait until we receive the results before we start contact-tracing,” De Guzman said.
The test is usually completed in 48 hours, but now it takes about five to six days, she said.
“If the result turns out to be positive, we will list her as the first COVID-19 case in the province. But as of now, Pangasinan is still COVID-19-free,” De Guzman said.
She said the patient, who is from Rosales town, showed respiratory tract infection symptoms, like cough, colds, and fever and was brought to a private hospital in Urdaneta City.
When the medical authorities learned about her travel history, they transferred her to Region I Medical Center, where she died after less than 24 hours.
De Guzman said the patient had traveled to Iloilo and Cebu before going back to Rosales, noting that they had no records that would immediately show the date when the patient arrived from the US.