South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo, Jr. (PNA GenSan file photo)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The provincial government of South Cotabato has launched extensive contact-tracing for a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) case in Koronadal City that is being considered as possible local transmission.
South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. confirmed in a press conference Saturday that a seafarer with no recent travel history turned out positive of the disease through reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing on August 7.
Tamayo said the patient arrived in Koronadal City from overseas deployment last January or prior to the spread and declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The governor said the seafarer was scheduled to fly out to Manila via Davao City this weekend for another deployment and submitted himself to RT-PCR testing as a requirement for outgoing airline passengers.
From Koronadal City, he said the seafarer proceeded directly to the testing center in Davao City on August 6 and came out positive of the disease the following day.
“This is very alarming since he is not an LSI (locally stranded individual) or ROF (returning overseas Filipino worker). Does it mean that the disease now exists in Koronadal City or in South Cotabato? That’s what we are trying to find out and tracing right now,” Tamayo said.
He said the epidemiology and surveillance units of Koronadal and South Cotabato already started the contact tracing and so far identified at least 555 “possible close contacts.”
These were based on the interviews with the patient as well as the manual and electronic logs of local business establishments, he said.
Tamayo said most of the contacts were traced from nine business establishments in Koronadal that have so far adopted the innovative digital South Cotabato Contact Tracing System (SC-CCTS).
The patient also reportedly recalled having visited the wake his in-law in Tupi town, stayed for some time in the area, and even attended a church service, he said.
Dr. Alah Baby Vingno, assistant provincial health officer, said they already alerted the contacts identified by the SC-CCTS through text messages.
“The alert warned and instructed them to immediately isolate, monitor their health condition and immediately seek assistance with a doctor or the nearest barangay health station in case they manifest possible symptoms of Covid-19,” she said.
She said they were still investigating the other movements of the patient but acknowledged that there is a possibility that it is a local transmission.
As of noon Saturday, she said the patient is still in Davao City but already scheduled for transfer to an isolation facility in Koronadal.
She said the patient, who turned out to have already experienced joint pains, fever, and chills as early as August 1, is in stable condition and did not manifest the “typical acute respiratory illness.”
Vingno said the patient’s family members are already undergoing quarantine and will be subjected to rapid antibody testing next week.
As of Friday, the province already recorded a total of 76 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 38 recoveries.
Aside from the latest patient, the province’s fourth confirmed case in May also had no travel history and considered as “locally-acquired” but was immediately contained. The rest of the cases involved LSIs and ROFs.
Tamayo urged residents to strictly follow the health standards like the wearing of face masks and face shields, practice safe physical distancing, avoid non-essential movements, and stay home if possible.
The governor added that the local government may be compelled to implement tighter control measures, among them another lockdown of the province’s borders if the situation will worsen. (PNA)
