DAVAO CITY – Health officials said Patient 130 (PH130), the first confirmed 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) case in Davao Region who is currently admitted at Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in Tagum City, is improving and in a stable condition.
In a virtual press briefing on Monday, Dr. Bryan Dalid, DRMC chief of hospital, said the 21-year-old patient from the Davao de Oro town of Pantukantohas been improving since the time she was admitted.
PH130 arrived in the Philippines from the United Kingdom with layover via Doha, Qatar to Manila then to Davao on February 29, the Department of Health in Davao Region (DOH-11) said Monday.
She first sought consultation at a local health facility due to cough and was immediately isolated on March 9. She was eventually transferred and admitted for isolation and testing at DRMC the next day.
“She was brought to our hospital and was confined at the Emerging Re-emerging Infectious Disease (ERID) ward. Her cough, cold and fever have been treated and she has improved well,” Dalid said.
To ensure PH130's full recovery, Dalid said they have already collected the second nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab to see if she is already negative of the viral disease.
“One of the parameters for us to discharge the patient is to have two negative results of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab tests,” he explained.
Contact tracing
Meanwhile, Dr. Cleofe Tabada, medical officer of DOH 11-Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU), said they have already conducted "contact tracing" of persons who interacted with PH130 upon her arrival and up to her admission.
“We started with her family and friends and the areas where she went before her admission,” she said.
She added that the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) has contacted the management of PAL for the list of passengers of Manila-Davao Flight PR2815 taken by PH130 on February 29 at 12:30 p.m.
“There are two passengers who contacted us and they did not manifest any symptoms,” Tabada added.
She also urged other passengers of the flight to come out and report to the nearest health centers if they manifested the symptoms.
“No need to panic. Call us so that you will know what to do. If you don’t want to come out, we won’t be able to help you,” Tabada said.
She also added that passengers of PR2815 can contact the following numbers for assistance: 0908-171-0468 for Smart and 0956-873-5621 for Globe. (PNA)
