STABLE CONDITION. Dr. Ric Noel Naciongayo, Antique Provincial Health Officer, says that 13 patients under investigation admitted in hospitals in the province are now on stable condition, during a press conference on Friday (March 20, 2020). He said the patients could be discharged after their 14-day quarantine and management. (PNA photo by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) said that 13 patients under investigation (PUIs) admitted in the hospitals in Antique are now in stable condition.
Antique PHO chief, Dr. Ric Noel Naciongayo, said the 13 PUIs admitted at the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital (ASMGH) and at the Culasi District Hospital (CDH) could also be discharged after their 14-day quarantine and management.
“The PUIs hopefully could be discharged soon,” he said during a press conference Friday.
Of the 13 PUIs, 12 were admitted starting March 5 and the succeeding days at the ASMGH while the other one is at the CDH.
“We are just waiting for the results of their specimens from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Alabang, Muntinlupa City,” he said.
He said the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs taken from the PUIs were sent to the RITM through the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) aircraft at the Iloilo International Airport that has been assigned to transport the other swabs of other PUIs in Western Visayas.
“We sent the three latest swabs last March 18,” he said.
He said that the swabs of the 10 other PUIs were sent earlier through the AFP.
Meanwhile, there are 17 other PUIs who are on home quarantine because they only manifested mild signs and symptoms of Covid-19, according to Dr. Inocencio Abiera Jr. of the IPHO during Thursday afternoon’s press conference.
“The PUIs under home quarantine were only diagnosed to have cough or other mild flu-like symptoms that they were allowed to be treated at home,” he said.
The province, however, has 3,403 persons under monitoring (PUMs). He said that all the 18 municipalities of the province have PUMs because of their exposure to the PUIs. (PNA)
