2nd COVID-19 case recorded from Palawan’s returnees

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY –– Palawan recorded the second case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) late Tuesday after the local government welcomed stranded individuals and overseas Filipino worker (OFW) returnees.

One locally stranded individual (LS() was tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2, a virus that causes COVID-19. This brought the total number of confirmed cases in the province to four.

Dr. Dean Palanca, city incident commander and assistant City Health Officer (CHO), said the male patient was part of the group that disembarked at the Puerto Princesa Port (PPP) on June 5 along with 276 other locally stranded individuals (LSI) and overseas Filipino workers (OFW).

He claimed that the COVID-19 patient was isolated in “one of the city’s facilities.”

Contact tracing, as part of the protocol for confirmed cases, was set to start on Wednesday.

Of the 276 returning individuals on June 5, 171 were from different Palawan municipalities and 105 from the city.

Upon their arrival, three individuals were reactive to the rapid diagnostic test (RDT).

In San Vicente town, north of Puerto Princesa, one of the 12 LSIs, who arrived with the same group, tested positive on RDT, and was waiting for the result of the confirmatory test, said Dr. Mercy Grace Pablico, municipal health officer (MHO).

The 20 returning individuals in San Vicente were quarantined at the isolation tents in the covered gym of Barangay New Agutaya.

In the southern town of Sofronio Española, 13 stranded returnees, who were also aboard the same vessel, have tested negative from the RDT conducted by the municipal health office (MHO), said Dr. Rhodora B. Tingson.

They were set to undergo another series of RDT on Friday and will be sent home if found nonreactive.

The swab test is reserved only for individuals, who remained asymptotic after 14-day mandatory quarantine, and those who were reactive from the RDT.

LZB