2 stranded residents become Palawan town’s 1st COVID-19 cases

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY –– Bataraza town in southern Palawan recorded its first active coronavirus or COVID-19 cases – two locally stranded returnees (LSIs).

Dr. Maria Rebethia Acala, spokesperson of the municipal inter-agency task force (MIATF) Bataraza, said Saturday afternoon that the two newly recorded patients were male LSIs who were both in their 40s.

The patients were about to complete their mandatory 14-day quarantine period when they tested positive for the rapid test on June 23, which prompted their swab sample extraction for the confirmatory test conducted by the Ospital Ng Palawan (ONP) GeneXpert laboratory.

In a separate press statement, Acala confirmed that both patients were “in good health condition without signs and symptoms of the virus”.

The two male LSIs remained isolated in a municipal facility as the contact tracing is undertaken. They arrived in Palawan on June 8, and the other LSIs, who were part of their group, would soon be subjected to swab testing.

There are now 28 confirmed COVID-19 patients in Palawan province, with four recoveries, one casualty, and 23 active cases, Ten are in Puerto Princesa, three in Coron, five in Sofronio Española, three in Busuanga, and two in Bataraza.

LZB