Police track down alleged COVID-19 patient who escaped from QC hospital

MANILA, Philippines — Police are now tracking down a patient who reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and later reportedly escaped from a hospital in Quezon City, a top official of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said Friday.

In a press briefing at the Kamuning police station, QCPD chief Col. Ronnie Montejo said that based on information from the Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance of the Quezon City Health Department and from Quezon City barangay officials, the male patient is in his 50s and a resident of Barangay Tandang Sora.

“Noong binigay yung address (nung patient), nung pinuntahan ng Department of Health (DOH) officials at barangay, dineny ng mga tao na taga doon na wala silang kilalang ganong tao na nakatira doon,” Montejo said.

(When the DOH officials and barangay officials went to the patient’s address, residents there said they are not familiar with the patient.)

Montejo said they are still gathering further information on when the patient had escaped and from which hospital in the city.

“Di pa namin alam kung paano completely nakatakas, kasi yun lang ang information na binigay sa amin,” he said.

(We still don’t know how the patient managed to escape because these are the only information we have.)

“Aalamin natin at malalaman natin kung papaano, san siya talagang hospital nagpa-check-up. Paano siya na-declare na positive,” Montejo added.

(We will find out and we will study how the patient escaped and which hospital he was admitted and how he was declared positive for the respiratory disease.)

/MUF