LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines — A 74-year-old coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) confirmed patient from this city died on Sunday night, becoming Albay’s first COVID-19 fatality and the Bicol region’s second death associated with the disease.
The patient died at the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital (BRTTH), the Department of Health (DOH) in Bicol said. The first COVID-19 death in the region was recorded in Camarines Sur – a 66-year-old male.
Dr. Ernie Vera, DOH regional director, and Interagency Task Force (IATF) chair confirmed that the elderly patient was admitted to the BRTTH isolation facility last week (April 14) after suffering from diabetes, hypertension and ischemic heart disease. He later tested positive for COVID-19.
As of Sunday, Bicol has six additional persons who also tested positive for COVID-19, pushing the total confirmed cases to 25, the DOH Bicol said.
Of the new cases, five were recorded from Albay and one from Catanduanes, the DOH COVID tracker said
The report added that there are now 203 COVID-19 suspects recorded in Bicol since the outbreak started early this year. Of this number, 175 tested negative of the disease, 25 tested positive, and three are with pending results.
Vera, in an interview, said: “vigilance, preparedness, and solidarity are the characters we need to have a fighting chance in this battle against the pandemic viral disease.”
He reiterated his call that the fight against COVID-19 is not yet over.
“We are at war with an invisible enemy which to this day stays unpredictable as cases are still increasing which means that we should always keep our shields up,” Vera said.