Man from Metro Manila gives Sulu second COVID-19 case

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Officials of the island province of Sulu have confirmed a second case of COVID-19 involving a man who arrived in the province from coronavirus hot spot Metro Manila.

Jainab Abdulmajid, information officer of Sulu’s Task Force on COVID-19, told the INQUIRER that the second case is that of a 28-year-old man who came from Metro Manila and arrived in the province on May 31 aboard a Montenegro Shipping Lines vessel.

Abdulmajid said the man tested negative initially on May 20 in Metro Manila.

But when he arrived in Jolo, the provincial capital, the man tested positive for SARS Cov2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. He was swabbed on June 4 and results came out on June 8.

The second test was done at the Zamboanga City Medical Center.

Abdulmajid expressed alarm over the second case, but sought to assure Sulu residents that officials were doing everything listed by health protocols to stop the transmission of coronavirus.

“We request the people of Sulu  to remain calm and not to panic. Please continue to stay at home to prevent the infection and spread of the coronavirus,” Abdulmajid said.

The first coronavirus patient in Sulu was a 63-year-old man from Indanan town.

The man died on April 19, but his test result came out 11 days later on April 30.

Edited by TSB