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6 PUIs for Covid-19 hospitalized in Zamboanga del Sur

By Leah Agonoy

March 20, 2020, 5:04 pm

<p><strong>COVID-19 UPDATES.</strong> Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Victor Yu (seated right) answers questions from reporters during a press briefing on the coronavirus disease 2019 on Friday (March 20, 2020). There are 64 patients under investigation and 5,288 persons under monitoring in the province as of 6 a.m. Friday. <em>(PNA photo by Leah D. Agonoy)</em></p>

COVID-19 UPDATES. Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Victor Yu (seated right) answers questions from reporters during a press briefing on the coronavirus disease 2019 on Friday (March 20, 2020). There are 64 patients under investigation and 5,288 persons under monitoring in the province as of 6 a.m. Friday. (PNA photo by Leah D. Agonoy)

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – Six of the 64 patients under investigation (PUIs) in Zamboanga del Sur have been admitted at hospitals after showing symptoms of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Governor Victor Yu said Friday.

Yu said the rest of the PUIs are on home quarantine since they only have mild symptoms. The province currently has 5,288 persons under monitoring (PUMs) as of 6 a.m. Friday.

PUIs and PUMs are regularly monitored by local health workers, the governor said.

Dahlia Aseniero, health education and information officer of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO), said most of the PUIs and PUMs have travel history abroad while others are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Aseniero said swab samples have been taken from PUIs and PUMs and sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for testing.

Yu said they have coordinated with the Philippine Air Force (PAF) for the transport of the specimen samples to the RITM due to the suspension of sea, air, and land travel in the province.

Meanwhile, Yu said the Department of Health (DOH) is set to deploy test kits to hasten the examination of specimen samples in the province.

The governor issued Executive Order 2020-06 placing the province under community quarantine effective March 16 to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the area.

Jessrel Himang, provincial government information officer, said quarantine checkpoints have been established in all entry points in the towns of Aurora, Josefina, Kumalarang, Tambulig, and Tukuran.

Zamboanga del Sur comprises one component city and 26 municipalities with a population of 1,010,674 as of the 2015 census. (PNA)

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