MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Governor Jonvic Remulla confirmed on Tuesday, March 10, the first positive case of COVID-19 in Cavite.

In a Facebook post, the Cavite governor said the first case is a man from Imus. He was a returning seaman in the country who passed through Narita Airport in Japan. He is currently admitted at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM). 

The province is probing 3 more cases for possible infection. 

The second person under investigation (PUI) is a woman confined at a private hospital in Imus. She arrived in the country from South Korea. Her specimen was submitted to the RITM on Monday, March 9. Remulla said her result has not come in yet.  

On Thursday, March 12, Remulla confirmed two more PUIs in Cavite. One was a female resident of Noveleta. Her sample was brought to RITM, and awaiting results. The other one is one-year-old infant from Tanza who had a travel history to Italy.

Contact tracing completed

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Remulla said that contact tracing for the first positive case in the province had been completed. 

According to Remulla, of the 10 people identified in close contact with the patient, 9 were asymptomatic and one had shown symptoms of COVID-19 and was undergoing testing and self-quarantine.  

Lockdown of Imus is false

Remulla dispelled reports that Imus, Cavite, was placed on lockdown due to coronavirus threat. 

Remulla also urged local government units (LGUs) to be transparent in disclosing information about cases of COVID-19 in their jurisdictions.

“Cloaking information is a greater disservice to the people. The people have the right to be informed,” Remulla said. 

Cavite, a first class province accoriding to its income, has a projected population 4.8 million this year. It is adjacent to Metro Manila, the center of coronavirus outbreak in the country.

As of Monday, the Department of Health said that it had probed 706 for possible cases of infection. – Rappler.com