COVID-19 DEATH. Local government workers in Tarangnan, Samar carry the casket of a suspected Covid-19 patient who succumbed to severe respiratory illness in this undated photo. The Department of Health confirmed on Friday (June 26, 2020) Eastern Visayas’ first three deaths from Covid-19. (Photo courtesy of Tarangnan Fire Station)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed the first three deaths from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in Eastern Visayas as cases in the region continued to rise following the return of stranded residents.
In a video message on Friday, DOH 8 (Eastern Visayas) Director Minerva Molon said those who died of Covid-19 also suffered other illnesses that worsened their health condition.
“Our three mortalities have underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes and cardiac diseases, making them extremely vulnerable to Covid-19. The concerned local government unit (LGU) of the Covid-19 fatalities followed meticulously the protocols on the handling of human remains to prevent contamination and transmission of the virus,” Molon said.
The first Covid-19 death was a 65-year-old male resident of Inasuyan village, Kawayan, Biliran. He was a locally stranded individual (LSI) from Manila who arrived in their hometown last June 11 aboard a private car with five other family members.
He was the only member of the family who caught the virus.
The patient had hypertension, congestive heart failure, and diabetes mellitus and died on June 14, the same day swab samples were taken from him.
The region’s second Covid-19 death was from Aguiting village in Kananga, Leyte. He was a 47-year-old male LSI who arrived from Cebu on June 15. The following day, he complained of severe chest pain and was rushed to a hospital.
He was found positive for Covid-19 on June 20. His condition worsened and he was hooked to a mechanical ventilator. On June 24, he succumbed to severe pneumonia secondary to Covid-19 and heart attack.
Based on contact tracing and investigation, the patient had no contact with anyone from Kananga town.
The third death was an 80-year-old female resident of the town center in Tarangnan, Samar. She caught the virus on June 16 and was immediately isolated at the Samar Provincial Hospital.
Due to her existing medical conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma, the patient was referred to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) on June 20.
Molon added that her condition progressed and became severe. She passed away on June 24 due to multi-factorial shock from community-acquired pneumonia and acute kidney failure.
She said it took time before the health department confirmed that these were Covid-related deaths since they had to be validated by the mortality review committee.
The committee, composed of doctors, researchers, and surveillance officers, reviews the patients’ medical history from the time they test positive for Covid-19 until their death.
Meanwhile, the region recorded 16 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday night, bringing its total to 467.
Molon said samples of these patients were part of the 149 confirmatory test results released by the state-run Eastern Visayas Regional Covid-19 Testing Center in this city.
Sogod town in Southern Leyte recorded its first 10 cases, eight of whom are LSIs and two are close contacts of an infected person from a nearby town.
Samar has four new cases – two in Catbalogan City and one each in Calbayog City and San Jorge town, while Libagon also in Southern Leyte and Kananga in Leyte reported one new case each.
“Our epidemiology and surveillance unit in the region is now working with the concerned LGUs for the contact tracing. We are also gathering more information and reports about the new cases from these LGUs,” she added.
The DOH said the patients are in their respective local isolation facilities but will be transferred to a higher health care facility if further management is needed.
“We are taking steps to end this crisis in our region. Local officials can do mitigation approaches like community restrictions and isolation of people with symptoms, especially those who have exposure to positive cases,” Molon said.
Confirmed cases in Eastern Visayas have significantly increased since the start of June due to the testing of returning residents from Metro Manila and Cebu City, as well as overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
To date, the region has 467 coronavirus cases, including 39 recoveries and three deaths, according to the DOH monitoring report.
“In the region, our emerging hotspots are the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, and Ormoc City. Some areas in these provinces have no cases but the number of infected persons has been increasing this month as stranded residents traveled to their hometowns,” she added.
On Thursday, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) suspended the travel of LSIs to Eastern Visayas for 14 days as part of containment measures.
The region’s case as of Friday is more than 10 times higher than the 40 cases recorded on May 28 when the first batch of the “Balik Probinsya, Balik Pag-asa” beneficiaries, “Hatid Tulong” recipients, OFWs, and LSIs, started to arrive in the region. (PNA)
