CITY OF CALAPAN –– A 78-year-old woman from Barangay Maliig in Lubang town in Occidental Mindoro province is among the three new “imported” cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) reported by health authorities Monday.
Imported cases refer to locally stranded individuals, returning residents, and authorized persons out of residence, who tested positive for the viral disease in their localities.
The island municipality of Lubang that was quick to close its borders last year when COVID-19 entered the country, posted the “sad news” in its social media account on Monday.
The woman is a returning resident from Imus, Cavite, and close contact of a COVID-19 patient, who arrived in the municipality on Feb. 25, the report said.
Upon arrival at the Port of Lubang, the patient, who has hypertension and heart disease, underwent a rapid antigen test for COVID-19 and yielded a negative result.
She was immediately quarantined in the designated barangay facility.
A specimen for the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test was collected on March 9 and sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
By Sunday, March 14, the result was positive for SARS-COV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19.
She was noted to have an occasional cough but remains without fever, sore throat, and difficulty breathing. She will be transferred to the Municipal Isolation Unit.
Dr. Teresa Pagilagan, municipal health officer and facility manager, and Dr. Daniel Panaglima, rural health and facility physician, reiterated the Department of Health’s call for the public to observe more strictly the minimum public standards.
This is to reduce the risk of acquiring the virus and slow down possible mutations, the doctors said.
The doctors said “no mandatory quarantine is being imposed on all returning residents.”
On Sunday evening, Occidental Mindoro has 249 local cases, 21 of which are active, 217 recoveries, and 11 deaths.
The province also has 45 imported cases, including six active, 38 recoveries, and one death.