Ifugao records first COVID case

SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela, Philippines — The province of Ifugao has recorded its first confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

The patient, a resident of Poblacion East, Barangay Lamut, is confined at the Region-2 Trauma and Medical Center in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.

The 65-year-old patient was first admitted at the Panopdopan District Hospital in Panopdopan town from April 14 to 22, according to Rhodora Montesa, chief of the Lamut Municipal Health Office.

In a post on social media, Montesa identified the patient, saying Mayor Mariano Buyagawan Jr. and the patient’s daughter authorized her to do so.

“I posted the name of the patient for faster contact tracing and rapid testing or swabbing,” Montesa said.

The infected site and the surrounding barangays have been placed on lockdown.

Village officials have been ordered to establish checkpoints in their respective jurisdictions and require residents to stay home, observe social distancing and wear face masks when going out.

“Only medical emergency personnel are allowed entry to and exit from the municipality,” Buyagawan said.

Even before it recorded its first case, Ifugao has closed all its tourist destinations and imposed travel restrictions.

No COVID cases yet have been recorded in Ifugao’s three neighboring provinces – Mt. Province, Kalinga and Apayao.

4 new cases

Three health workers in Baguio City and one in La Trinidad, Benguet tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday.

The cases in Baguio are all females, including a 61-year-old doctor and two nursing attendants in their early 30’s, according to Mayor Benjamin Magalong.

The patient in La Trinidad is a 27-year-old nurse from Barangay Wangal.

Meanwhile, no new COVID infections have been recorded in Bataan in the past six days.

Gov. Albert Garcia said the number of cases in the province remains at 81 with 15 and four deaths.

Those who recovered are still undergoing a 14-day post-discharge quarantine before they can be released.

In Bulacan, 43 suspected cases were recorded as of Saturday afternoon, bringing the total number of person under investigation to 503 from 460 on Friday. – With Artemio Dumlao, Ric Sapnu, Ramon Efren Lazaro, Raymund Catindig