PUERTO PRINCESA CITY –– A one-month old baby from Alcantara town in Romblon province tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), making him the youngest patient to be infected by the dreaded virus in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan).
The Alcantara municipal government said in a statement Monday that the infant has been transported to the National Children’s Hospital in Metro Manila aboard Montenegro Shipping Lines (Xenia).
The patient arrived at the Tablas Airport in Alcantara town on July 5 with the mother and a babysitter aboard Cebu Pacific flight DG-6073. The baby was nonreactive to the rapid diagnostic test (RDT) conducted upon their arrival, which subsequently allowed their home quarantine at their residence in Barangay San Isidro, Alcantara.
Two days upon arrival, on July 7, the baby showed symptoms for COVID-19 and was admitted to the Don Modesto Formilleza Sr. Memorial Hospital at the neighboring municipality of Looc. The swab samples for a confirmatory test were gathered on July 8, with the result returning positive on July 12.
The Alcantara town government has initiated contact tracing for those who may have direct contact with the family during their trip home.
The recent development brings the total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Romblon to eight.