Department of Health-Caraga Director Jose Llacuna, Jr. (PNA file photo by Alexander Lopez)
BUTUAN CITY – A patient under investigation tested negative for 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) following the results released by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) on Friday, the Department of Health in the Caraga Region (DOH-13) said.
“We are waiting for the results of other specimens submitted to RITM following standard protocols as to the collection and transport of our specimens,” DOH-13 Director Jose Llacuna Jr. said in a statement.
Llacuna said the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) is already doing the sub-national laboratory testing for Covid-19 to accommodate the specimens from Mindanao.
“We are asking for the full cooperation of everyone to follow the directives set by the National Inter-Agency Task Force for Ccovid-19 and our local government units to protect the health of everyone,” he said.
As of March 19, 2020, Caraga has a total of 13 PUIs, and 3, 596 persons under monitoring (PUMs).
Of the total number of PUMs, 277 have already completed their isolation while 3,596 are still under isolation and monitoring.
The youngest PUI recorded in the region is the 1-year-old girl who is currently treated at the Caraga Regional Hospital (CRH) in Surigao City.
In an earlier interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), Llacuna said the child underwent a heart operation in Manila but upon her return here, doctors found some fluid in her lungs.
The oldest PUI in the region is a 71-year-old female, who is currently admitted at CRH.
Meanwhile, Llacuna reiterated his call for the public to stay home and should they show symptoms of Covid-19, call the local hotlines of DOH-13 first for proper referral and health advice. (PNA)
