Cagayan de Oro mayor warns village execs who discriminate vs COVID-19 patient

CAGAYAN DE ORO –– Mayor Oscar Moreno rebuked officials of Barangay 35 here for not allowing the return of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient who had recovered and wanted to go home.

Moreno also warned the officials for not lifting the Barangay 35 lockdown following the City Health Office’s recommendation to do so after the recovery of the patient.

“The refusal of Barangay 35 officials and residents to allow her to go home is tantamount to discrimination,” Moreno said but did not specify what administrative actions he was going to take against the erring officials.

Dr. Joselito Retuya, city epidemiologist, said the patient was the market vendor who contracted COVID-19 but had tested negative after completing her two-week quarantine at the city’s temporary treatment management facility.

Retuya said the female patient tested negative after undergoing two RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests, confirming that she was already free of COVID-19.

Of the 159 COVID-19 cases in Cagayan de Oro as of August 3, 92 patients have recovered, according to Dr. Lorraine Nery, City Health Officer. Most of the COVID-19 cases were residents returning from Manila.

She said 61 patients were still considered active cases or undergoing quarantine at the city treatment management facility.

Nery said the city’s death toll from COVID-remained at six since March this year.

LZB