The Cordillera office of the Department of Health (DOH-CAR) confirmed the first case of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Baguio City.
The patient is a 61-year old Baguio-based Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who arrived in the city last March 2, 2020.
DOH-CAR Regional Director Dr. Amelita M. Pangilinan said that upon arrival in the city, the OFW, who had been working in Italy for over 20 years, showed mild symptoms of the deadly virus and underwent medical checkup last March 7, 2020 for COVID-related worsening symptoms.
The DOH-CAR official said that based on the contract tracing done by the epimdiologists of the City Health Services Office, the OFW had series of travels to nearby Sablan and Itogon towns in Benguet and that her contacts were already identified and had been advised to undergo the prescribed 14-day strict quarantine in their homes, even if they do not possess the COVID symptoms.
CHSO Infectious Diseases Cluster Head Dr. Donabel Tubera-Panes said that during the conduct of the contact tracing, the family members of the first confirmed COVID case in Baguio City were very cooperative and that they were able to identify her close contacts through the records on her cellphone that had been freely divulged to those that undertook the required contact tracing.
Tubera-Panes disclosed that the first confirmed COVID case in the city is now in stable condition and undergoing recovery in a local health facility.
This brings the confirmed cases in the Cordillera to two following the positive confirmatory test results of a 39-year old seaman from Manabo, Abra who tested positive for COVID last March 14, 2020 and is now doing well at the Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center (ITRMC0) in San Fernando City, La Union.
DOH- CAR disclosed that the first COVID case in the region is simply awaiting his second test results from the Manila-based Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for him to be given the necessary clean bill of health. - Dexter A. See
Baguio records first confirmed COVID-19 case
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