Cotabato province reports 1st PUI admission in COVID-19 isolation center

COTABATO CITY –– Cotabato province admitted its first patient suspected for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in an isolation facility after the patient’s husband in Manila tested positive for the virus.

The patient, now considered a person under investigation (PUI), has been confined in an isolation facility at the provincial hospital compound in Barangay Amas, Kidapawan City, according to Provincial Board (PB) Member Philbert Malaluan, incident command post head and spokesperson of Cotabato province’ Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19.

He said the patient, a 59-year-old woman from Matalam town, had been hypertensive but had no history of travel to Manila or abroad this year.

However, she had close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 positive patient, her husband.

The patient’s husband was already experiencing symptoms that included cough and fever when he went home to Matalam on March 8. He returned to Manila on March 10.

“Since his symptoms persisted, he sought consultation at the Lung Center of the Philippines and was tested on March 18,” Malaluan said.

Malaluan said the test result came out on March 23 showing the husband positive of the virus.

The wife has been experiencing symptoms of high fever, cough and is having bouts of breathing difficulty, Malaluan said.

A swab was taken from her on Wednesday morning and sent to the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City for COVID-19 tests.

Malaluan said the patient had been classified as PUI showing moderate symptoms.

She will be under the care of the Cotabato Provincial Hospital’s COVID-19 teams created by an executive order issued by Governor Nancy Catamco when she placed the entire province under enhanced community quarantine.

“Rest assured that DOH protocols are strictly followed. Also, rest assured that the provincial government is on top of the situation,” Malaluan said.

LZB