Two Bulacan frontliners fall sick due to COVID-19

Police and barangay kagawads control movement after Barangay San Nicolas was locked down this week . PHOTO BY CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE

BULAKAN, Bulacan– A hospital worker and a barangay (village) health worker tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID 19) on July 22 and 23, prompting officials to lock down a village for contact tracing and disinfection.

Patient 37 from Barangay Maysantol is a 57-year-old man employed by a Metro Manila hospital.

Three members of his family, and seven people outside Bulakan with whom he had interacted have been placed under strict quarantine as of Thursday.

Patient No. 35 is a 54-year-old woman tasked as a village frontliner of Barangay San Nicolas. She was swabbed on July 20 and her results confirmed her infection on July 22, said Dr. Joy Gomez, Bulacan public health officer on Saturday (July 25).

The 59 residents who have had direct and indirect contact with the health worker have been isolated.

All the barangay health centers of Bulakan’s 14 villages, including the municipal rural health unit, have been shut down since Thursday for disinfection.

Catleya St. in San Nicolas is now under total lockdown. The boundary areas connecting San Nicolas to Balubad, Maysantol and Tibig are under general community quarantine.

The municipal health office will release a temporary operation plan for the medical requirements of the 14 villages pending the release of the test results, said Municipal Health Officer Elisa Villanueva. CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE

CFC