30-year-old man is 1st COVID-19 case in Bansalan, Davao del Sur

BANSALAN, Davao del Sur—A 30-year-old man from New Clarin village here tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), making him the first COVID-19 case in the town of Bansalan and the 13th in Davao del Sur, a report from the Department of Health (DOH) in the region said.

In its profile bulletin, DOH region 11 said the patient, who remains without symptoms of the coronavirus disease, was admitted to the isolation unit of the Southern Philippine Medical Center (SPMC) while his history of exposure is being investigated.

Davao del Sur posted 13 new COVID-19 cases as of Saturday afternoon, according to the DOH 11 tracker which recorded a total of 16 new cases in the Davao region.

Earlier, the local government here posted on its social media page three suspected COVID-19 cases.

Of the 13 cases reported in Davao del Sur, seven were health workers at the Davao del Sur Provincial Hospital.

Health officials in Digos City said they are still waiting for the test results of 47 COVID-19 suspected cases, Digos City Mayor Josef Cagas said.

The DOH also announced that the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in Tagum City has just been accredited as a licensed COVID-19 testing laboratory to complement the testing being made at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) as the COVID-19 facility in this part of Mindanao.

The DOH in a statement said that COVID-19 testing at the DRMC will relieve health personnel of the difficult task of sending swab samples to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Manila and SPMC in Davao City for COVID-19 testing. This will shorten the waiting time for the release of test results.

/MUF