DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 22 June) – The 13 new patients confirmed positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Davao region were all asymptomatic, the Department of Health (DOH) – Davao said.
As of June 21, the DOH-Davao Center for Health Development reported that of the 13 new cases, nine were from Davao City, two from Davao de Oro, and one each from Davao del Sur and Davao del Norte.
The new cases brought the total COVID-19 positives in the Davao region to 474.
The agency bared that of the nine new cases in Davao City, eight are residents of Barangay 23-C, one of the nine barangays classified by the city government as “very high risk” areas for COVID-19. Of the eight patients, five are female with ages between 25 and 67 and the rest are male between 24 to 65 years old. The other patient is a 38-year-old female from Barangay Leon Garcia Sr.
The two new COVID-19 positives in Davao de Oro are from the municipalities of Maco and New Bataan, aged 21 and 28, respectively.
According to the provincial government, the female individual from Barangay Hijo, Maco is the 10th confirmed COVID-19 case in the province. She is a locally stranded individual (LSI) who arrived in the province on June 12 from Manila. She was admitted at the Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital in Montevista.
On the other hand, the 28-year-old female from Barangay Pandawan, New Bataan, the 11th case in the province, is an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who arrived in the province on June 13. The provincial government and DOH-Davao, however, have yet to identify the exposure and travel history of the patient, who was quarantined at an undisclosed barangay isolation unit.
Davao del Norte’s new COVID-19 case is a 35-year-old female resident of Barangay Magugpo South in Tagum City, the 15th case in the city and the 29th in the entire province.
The city government of Tagum bared that their new case is an OFW from Dubai who returned to the city via a sweeper flight from Manila to Davao City on June 6. As of June 21, Tagum City announced that 12 patients have recovered from the disease.
In Davao del Sur, the new COVID-19 patient is a 50-year-old female from Barangay Tagabuli, Sta. Cruz, the third COVID-19 case in the municipality and the 20th in the entire province.
Dr. Raygen Manuel-Madronero, Sta. Cruz municipal health officer, said the patient is an OFW from Kuwait who arrived in Davao City and was brought to the province last June 10.
Madronero said the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result of the patient in Manila last June 4 was negative, but during the rapid diagnostic test (RDT) conducted upon her arrival, the result was positive prompting the local government to immediately quarantine her at their isolation facility.
On June 17, a repeat RDT still yielded a positive result for the virus. Swab samples were then taken from her and the RT-PCR test conducted at the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City confirmed she is positive for COVID-19.
Madronero said the patient was transferred to the province’s isolation facility and that contact tracing has been launched.