A fireman is Cagayan province’s first case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba said on Saturday (March 21).
The Department of Health and Dr. Glenn Mathew Baggao, medical director of the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC), confirmed that the senior fire officer, who was stationed at the Santa Mesa Fire Station in Manila, tested positive for the virus.
The fireman went home to Tuguegarao City on March 11 after taking a sick leave before Metro Manila was locked down to prevent the spread there of the virus. The patient has been confined at the CVMC.
The fireman’s family has also been isolated, while health personnel began tracking down people with whom the fireman had contact, including his colleagues in Sta Mesa.
DOH is also seeking out passengers of the bus, which the fireman took for the 12–hour trip from Manila to Tuguegarao.
Mamba said the first COVID-19 case should convince residents to stay indoors.
“This is not a joke as we already have 14,000 persons under monitoring, as per our Cagayan Provincial Health Office data,” Mamba said.