12 COVID-19 suspects test negative in Palawan

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—The regional health department on Sunday cleared 12 suspected COVID-19 cases in Palawan after their test results returned negative, trimming the number of patients awaiting result to eight.

Among those 12 who tested negative was a pregnant woman from El Nido who died on April 19, according to provincial health officer (PHO) Dr. Mary Ann Navarro.

“She died of complications due to hypertension in pregnancy,” Navarro said.

Meanwhile, Brooke’s Point mayor Jean Feliciano said a suspect COVID-19 patient died Sunday. The death could not be associated with the COVID-19 infection since the deceased patient was not swabbed for a confirmatory test.

‘‘Wala namang exposure sa taong COVID-positive dahil hindi naman siya umalis ng barangay (He had no exposure to a COVID-positive because he didn’t leave the village),” Feliciano said.

The deceased suspect COVID-19 patient was reported by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO) to the PHO for case recording according to Dan Esmerio, MDRRMO officer.

Emerio added that relatives disclosed that the patient had high blood even before he got sick and died.

As this developed, Puerto Princesa City mayor Lucilo Bayron again pushed for the city’s own testing center.

This, after the deceased COVID-19 patient died on April 21 with his test result returned only on Saturday evening, six days late after he was swabbed on April 19.

“The Ospital Ng Palawan (ONP) was chosen to use GenXpert laboratory. Rest assured that once it’s already operational, the turnover of specimen will be faster,” Bayron said.

Bayron said that a group of health experts was set to arrive on Tuesday (April 28) to assess the capability of the city laboratory.

Eight suspect COVID-19 patients remained to wait for their test results.

The island province recorded a total of 36 suspect COVID-19 cases, 15 of whom were admitted while the rest were under strict home quarantine as of Sunday afternoon (3 p.m., April 26).