TACLOBAN CITY—The town of Jipapad in Eastern Samar has recorded its first ever COVID-19 case since the pandemic started in March 2020.
The town’s first case involved a 31-year-old woman who reportedly acquired the infection in one of the hospitals in this city.
A town official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the woman was with her husband, a militiaman, who was being treated for gunshot wounds after an encounter with New People’s Army members last July 7.
The official maintained that the town should still be considered COVID-19-free since the patient was tested in Tacloban City and brought Thursday, July 15, to the Jipapad isolation facility.
Dr. Rodel Delgado, the provincial health officer, said the woman appeared to be asymptomatic.
He, however, declined to provide any further details about the woman.
Jipapad is one of the farthest towns in Eastern Samar, about 148 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Borongan City.
The Department of Health reported 233 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total number of infections in the region to 33,414. Of the number, 1,561 are active.