DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 13 March) — Two sisters who fled to Davao City on Thursday to escape containment in Sarangani for novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were discharged on Friday, hours after they were turned over to the state-run Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).
Dr. Ricardo Audan, SPMC chief of clinics and health emergency, said the two sisters, who fled Sarangani on Thursday and was intercepted that same evening in a hotel in Davao City, were sent back to Sarangani and recommended to undergo “home quarantine.”
One of the patients was identified as a “person under monitoring” (PUM) while the other, an overseas Filipino worker returning to Japan, was tagged “person under investigation” (PUI). The PUI was on her 13th day of isolation in Sarangani. Home quarantine takes 14 days.
The sisters fled Davao to catch a flight to Japan via Manila on Friday morning,
Dr. Annabelle Yumang, regional director of the Department of Health (DOH) said.
Yumang told a press conference on Friday afternoon that the PUM did not manifest any symptoms while the PUI had met the three decision tools employed by the DOH such as showing any of the signs like cough, fever, and difficulty of breathing; traveled to restricted countries with a high number of COVID-19 cases; or had direct contact with patients positive for COVID-19.
The condition of the patients had already improved, according to Audan. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
