6 more patients from Negros Oriental test positive for COVID-19

DUMAGUETE CITY –– Health authorities here announced on Wednesday six new COVID-19 cases in Negros Oriental.

Dr. Liland Estacion, incident commander of the COVID-19 task force for Negros Oriental, said the six new cases were composed of two fishermen from Ayungon town, a returning overseas Filipino worker, one locally stranded individual (LSI), who passed by Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, an 11-year-old returning LSI from Boloc-boloc in Sibulan, who came from Barili town in Cebu, and a 58-year old resident of Vallehermoso, who returned from Bacolod.

This brings to 17 the number of COVID-19 patients in Negros Oriental as of Wednesday, from zero confirmed cases barely five days ago.

Estacion said there were still no cases of local transmission.

Negros Oriental had been COVID-19-free since the recovery of a male patient on April 30, until the swab test results started coming in for the 170 fishermen, who arrived on May 21 in Negros Oriental.

So far, 13 of these fishermen have tested positive for COVID-19, while 91 were found negative.

The fishers arrived in a small fishing boat Philip D.R. from a fishing expedition in Palawan.

Their ship captain died in Manila from COVID-19. Their cook also died while they were en route from Manila to Negros Oriental. His body was cremated immediately after it was unloaded here.

More swab test results were pending in Cebu.

The 170 fishers are now quarantined at the Negros Oriental High School, except for the first two asymptomatic patients, who were admitted at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital on Sunday.

LZB