The Zamboanga City Hall. (PNA file photo)
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- A patient under investigation (PUI) for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) died Saturday while still waiting for the test result from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), a health official said.
Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, City Health Office chief, said Monday said that the PUI is a married 57-year-old female from this city and was admitted March 18 at a local hospital where she died.
Miravite said the fatality was one of the 28 PUIs they have recorded since January in this southern port city.
The Department of Health (DOH) said in a statement that the PUI is a known diabetic with travel history to the United Kingdom in January 2020 including a local travel.
DOH said the patient had “an initial working diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), to consider PUI for Covid-19 and subsequently expired on March 21, 2020”.
Miravite said the PUI experienced difficulty in breathing and died of severe acute respiratory disease and sepsis. She was immediately buried.
“Specimen samples for confirmatory testing for Covid-19 was collected on March 20, 2020 and was sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine awaiting results.” the DOH said.
DOH said it was closely coordinating with the private hospital and with the City Health Office in connection with the case.
Meanwhile, Miravite said five of the PUIs recorded since January have been cleared as they tested negative for Covid-19.
She said 93 of the 527 reported PUMs were also cleared during the same period. These PUIs have travel history to China, history of exposure with a confirmed case, visited a health facility with a confirmed case, and with respiratory symptoms (cough, colds, and fever).
The PUMs are persons who have traveled to China or had exposure to those with confirmed Covid-19 but show no signs and symptoms. They were asked to be home quarantined for 14 days and wear masks. (PNA)
