Death came before COVID-19 test results for man in Tacloban

TACLOBAN CITY–A 51-year old man died at a hospital here on Wednesday (April 1) while waiting for results of tests that would show if he had novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

Dr. Gloria Fabrigas, city health officer, said the patient died at 8:52 p.m. due to respiratory failure, citing the death certificate issued by the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), where the patient died.

The patient had been swabbed for respiratory samples last March 31, the same day he was confined at the EVRMC.

The samples had been brought to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City for confirmatory tests. Results have yet to be sent back.

Fabrigas said the patient was buried at 9 a.m. on Thursday (April 2) or within 12 hours after he died to heed protocol set by the Department of Health.

The city health officer declined to provide information about the patient to protect his family from being discriminated against.

Health officials, however, met with leaders of the village where the family resides. Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez was also informed about the patient’s death.

“The mayor is on top of the situation but we should not be complacent,” Fabrigas said.

She repeated a call for people to stay a safe distance from one another and observe personal hygiene to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Tacloban currently has 28 patients under investigation, or those showing symptoms, and 141 persons under monitoring, those without symptoms.

Edited by TSB