TESTING OF CONTACTS. Swab samples are collected from the traced contacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)-positive municipal councilor in Igbaras town, Iloilo on Wednesday (June 3, 2020). Igbaras Mayor Jaime Esmeralda said almost all local government unit personnel are considered as high-risk contacts of the patient. (Photos courtesy of Dr. Earvin Bondoc of Southern Iloilo Health Zone)
ILOILO CITY – The Contact Tracing Task Force of Igbaras town, Iloilo has identified and located all the 200 contacts of the 55-year-old male municipal councilor who tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) on Monday.
Of these contacts, 50 were already swabbed on Tuesday and the other 50 were swabbed Wednesday, Igbaras Mayor Jaime Esmeralda, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview.
Another batch of 100 contacts will also undergo Covid-19 swab testing on Thursday, he said.
“I confirm that our positive case is an SB (Sanggunian Bayan) member and almost all our local government unit personnel are identified as high-risk contacts,” said Esmeralda, who is also a medical doctor.
The Covid-19 positive councilor has also undergone re-swabbing on Tuesday as the mayor wants to confirm his test result.
Esmeralda said the councilor stayed in Igbaras for two and a half months but went once to Iloilo City last May 1.
He is considering the possibility that the councilor might have caught the infection from an asymptomatic carrier in Igbaras.
“I have a little doubt (in the positive result). If we say it’s a false positive, it is a very little chance. We will see the result again in his re-test to confirm,” he said.
The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test of the councilor, along with other LGU personnel and contacts, will be processed at the Western Visayas Medical Center sub-national laboratory.
Due to the town's Covid-19 case, transactions in the local government has been paralyzed since Tuesday.
Esmeralda said “almost all” of the LGU personnel, including him, will have to observe quarantine and would be monitored for signs and symptoms.
“All the transactions in the municipal hall are suspended because almost all our personnel are under monitoring. We will resume work after a week or until such time that we can assure safety and the absence of local transmission,” he said.
The municipal hall is also being subjected to disinfection, he said. (PNA)
