Ilocos Norte COVID-19 death toll now 5

A frontline worker in Solsona town, Ilocos Norte province sprays disinfectant on vehicles of local health units following a COVID-19 outbreak there. PHOTO FROM SOLSONA LGU

LAOAG CITY—A 38-year-old man from Solsona town became Ilocos Norte’s fifth COVID-19 fatality, officials said on Monday (March 22).

In a statement, Solsona Mayor Joseph De Lara said the fatality was tagged as a COVID-19 patient by the provincial government last March 13.

The patient had displayed COVID-19 symptoms.

Before testing positive for SARS Cov2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the man had been suffering from asthma and was hypertensive, said De Lara.

The man was a resident of the village of Bubuos which was hit recently by a COVID-19 outbreak.

The patient had been quarantined in a government facility last March 6 and was transferred to Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Batac City last March 12.

As of March 21, Bubuos village had 42 of Solsona town’s 60 COVID-19 cases, said Alfonso Jeziel de los Reyes, Solsona information officer.

De Lara said the man was already buried on Monday afternoon in funeral rites heeding strict health protocols.

As of March 21, the provincial government had recorded a total of 951 COVID-19 cases, of which 168 remained active.

Most of the active cases in the province had been found in the towns of Solsona (60), Pagudpud (35), Paoay (11), and the cities of Batac (17) and Laoag (15), according to records from the provincial government.

TSB