Mayor Edwin Santiago of City of San Fernando in Pampanga province has tested positive for COVID-19. (Photo from the City of San Fernando government)
MABALACAT CITY, Pampanga––The mayor of the City of San Fernando, Edwin Santiago, has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the city government disclosed Wednesday, Sept. 8.
Santiago’s reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test confirmed the infection on Sept. 7. He immediately underwent self-isolation, the city government said.
Several close contacts of Santiago were quarantined, and subjected to swab tests, the city government said.
It also asked other individuals, who had close contact with the mayor from Sept. 2 to Sept. 6, to coordinate with the city government for swab testing.
The active COVID-19 cases in San Fernando reached 1,660 on Wednesday after the city government registered 140 new cases, 86 recoveries, and three deaths.
The fatalities were residents of Calulut, Malpitic, and San Nicolas villages.
Data also showed that the city had recorded 8,938 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began last year. Of these, 7,029 have recovered, while 249 have died.