PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—A person being investigated for COVID-19 has been cremated following his death though test results showed he was negative for the virus, with officials saying they had to make sure.
Dr. Mario Baquilod, regional Department of Health (DOH) director, said on Monday that the person tested negative for COVID-19 five days after his death last March 18.
The test results were known on Monday (March 23).
The dead person, a 37-year-old Filipino male who had been admitted to a public hospital in Puerto Princesa, had been cremated and his body “properly handled based on sanitation protocol.”
The cause of death had been “severe respiratory distress” according to earlier announcements.
Palawan has 44 PUI under watch, 17 of whom remains confined at different hospitals in the province.