2 more COVID-19 patients die in Batangas; 52 new cases recorded

LUCENA CITY — The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) death toll in Batangas province hit 436 after two validated virus carriers in Taysan and Alitagtag towns passed away, health authorities reported Saturday afternoon, March 20.

The Batangas Provincial Public Information Office, citing the latest bulletin from the Provincial Health Office (PHO), on a report posted at 3 p.m., also disclosed that the province also has 52 new virus carriers.

No details on the latest fatalities were given.

The PHO report said a total of 72 COVID-19 patients passed away since the start of 2021. Last year, the province recorded 364 COVID-19 deaths.

Batangas has recorded 13,788 COVID-19 cases with the addition of 52 new cases and 12,670 recoveries since the pandemic was declared last year.

The province still has 682 active virus carriers.

The province has also listed 1,211 active “suspect” and 38 “probable” cases.

A person is considered a suspected carrier if he or she shows symptoms like fever, cough, or sore throat two weeks after contact with an infected person or persons or had traveled to a place where there is a case of infection, according to the Department of Health (DOH) guidelines.

Those with symptoms who belong to what is considered as a vulnerable segment of the population — elderly, those with preexisting health conditions, pregnant women, and health care workers — are also considered as coronavirus suspects.

An individual is a probable case if his/her COVID-19 results are inconclusive, and he/she has been tested in an unofficial laboratory.

At least 13 towns among 34 localities in the province have already been declared as under modified general community quarantine status.

The two towns of Tingloy and Tuy, out of 34 localities in the province, are now considered virus-free as they no longer have any active cases as of March 20. Those previously infected in these localities have either recovered or had died, the report showed.