POSITIVE. Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, the chairperson of the Task Force Covid-19 (center), announces in a press conference Tuesday evening (March 24, 2020) that a 29-year-old male with travel history from Manila is positive of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). It is the first case registered in this city. To her right is Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, City Health Office chief, and Dr. Emilia Monicimpo, Department of Health regional director. (Photo courtesy of City Hall Public Information Office)
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Local government and health authorities confirmed Tuesday this city's first confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, the chairperson of the Task Force Covid-19, described the infected patient as a 29-year old male, single, a resident of Barangay Sinunuc.
Salazar said ZP-01 (Zamboanga Positive-01) is now admitted at a hospital designated to treat Covid-19 patients here.
Dr. Emilia Monicimpo, Department of Health (DOH) regional director, said ZP-01 arrived in this city from Manila on an early morning flight last March 13.
The patient was advised to undergo a 14-day home quarantine after he sought consultation at a private hospital on March 16 manifesting signs and symptoms of Covid-19.
Monicimpo said swab samples were taken from ZP-01 together with 14 other PUIs and sent to the RITM for laboratory tests.
She said the result was sent to them Tuesday afternoon, thus, the announcement.
Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite, City Health Officer, said ZP-01 was included in their list as PUIs. She expressed hopes that ZP-01 will fully recover since his health condition “is now improving”.
Miravite said the relatives of ZP-01 living with him in the same house are not experiencing any symptoms as of Tuesday.
Monicimpo said the relatives were taken to the Ateneo de Zamboanga University-Lantaka campus for isolation and 14-day quarantine.
The former Lantaka Hotel, which is converted into a school and managed by ADZU, has been designated as isolation area of PUIs and PUMs for Covid-19.
Miravite said contact tracing will be conducted by her office to determine who are the other people that came into contact with ZP-01.
Pilarica Ledesma, the Sinunuc barangay chairperson, said Wednesday that a lockdown is in place in the subdivision where ZP-01 is staying.
Earlier, a 57-year-old woman listed as PUI died in a private hospital from acute respiratory disease while awaiting the test result from the RITM.
The DOH said in a statement that the PUI was a known diabetic with travel history to the United Kingdom in January 2020 aside from local travel.
Meanwhile, Miravite said that laboratory tests of the 11 of the total 31 PUIs turned out negative while the remaining 20 with specimen pending result as of Tuesday.
She said that 184 of the total 712 PUMs have been cleared since they have completed the 14-day quarantine. (PNA)
