Two LSIs in NegOr test positive for Covid-19
DUMAGUETE CITY, June 25 (PIA) — Two Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) who arrived in Negros Oriental recently tested positive for COVID-19.
This was disclosed by Assistant Provincial Health Officer and Hospital Incident Command System Commander Dr. Liland Estacion in a press conference on June 25.
This brings the number of active COVID-19 cases in the province to five.
The first LSI came from Minglanilla, Cebu but is a resident of Brgy. Panciao in Manjuyod, while the second LSI is from Caloocan City who arrived in Negros Oriental on June 16 via a sweeper flight.
Both individuals are asymptomatic and are currently placed in a local government unit (LGU) designated quarantine facility in their respective towns.
Estacion said contact tracing has begun, but noted only a few people will be traced since the LSIs were directly placed in the LGU quarantine facility upon their arrival in the province.
“Contact tracing has been started early this morning pero gamay lang ang contact tracing nila kay pag-abot nila sa airport ug sa pier gikuha man sila diretso. Diretso man sa quarantine facility (Contact tracing has begun early this morning but only a few will be traced because they were directly placed in a quarantine facility after they were fetched from the airport and seaport by their LGU),” Estacion said.
“To all LSIs, ayaw gyud mo refuse na mabutang mo sa quarantine facility kay ug mabutang mo ug quarantine facility, this is the nice way na wa ta daghan contact tracing, wala tay matakdan (To all LSIs, please don’t refuse if you will be placed in a quarantine facility. This is a nice way so we won’t have many people to contact trace and one way of preventing the spread of virus),” she added.
With this, the COVID-19 tally in the province is now at 25, including the past confirmed cases.
The three other active COVID-19 cases are the male pescador who is asymptomatic and is in a government-designated isolation facility for over a month now since his arrival in the province last month; the police officer from Philippine National Police Regional Office 7 who came to Dumaguete City and his girlfriend.
The police officer is now in the hospital after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms while his girlfriend is placed under home quarantine since she is also asymptomatic.
When asked by the media to clarify the discrepancy between the local COVID-19 statistics and the figures reported by the Department of Health (DOH) at the national level, Estacion said she will raise this with DOH officials when she meets them in a webinar scheduled today.
“I really want them to explain,” Estacion told the media, noting that this concern is not only experienced in Negros Oriental but in other provinces as well.
It was noted during the press conference that based on the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force-Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) figures, there were previously 23 confirmed cases of COVID-19 recorded in the province.
On the other hand, based on the figures from DOH posted on social media within the week, there are 28 cases recorded in Negros Oriental.
Estacion underscored that the data they gathered reflects the real situation in Negros Oriental since it is based on the actual cases they have handled and from the results of swab tests conducted in Cebu City. (ral/PIA7-Negros Oriental)
source https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1045857