Man probed for coronavirus in Marawi dies while awaiting test result

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – A man being probed for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) died in Marawi City on Tuesday, March 17.

“He died before the result came in,” said  Zia Alonto, spokesperson of the Lanao del Sur COVID-19 team.

The man, who traveled recently to Malaysia to join a religious activity, was confined at the Amai Pakpak Medical Center (APMC) in Marawi City.

Based on the official tally on Tuesday, there are 7 other persons under investigation (PUIs) in Lanao del Sur – 6  confined in the APMC, and 1 discharged after testing negative for the disease.

Of the 6 confined, 4 were awaiting the test results, while two have yet to be tested.

There are 90 persons under monitoring (PUMs) in Lanao del Sur – 88 in home quarantine, and two in quarantine in a medical facility.

APMC is under the operational control of the Department of Health Region 10 (DOH10). It sent its last batch of test samples to the DOH Central Office in Manila last week.

Maria Ellen Santua of DOH-10 said that even with the Luzon lockdown, test samples of suspected coronavirus patients in the region would still reach Manila, as it was a medical emergency nature. 

On March 14, Mindanao recorded its first COVID-19 death, a 54-year-old native of Marawi City who moved to Pasig City following the Marawi siege in 2017. The man was confined at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro City.

The Philippines has 187 coronavirus cases, 12 deaths, and 4 recoveries as of Tuesday. 

A total of 7,007 people have died, with a 175,536 infections recorded globally. China has the highest number of fatalities at 3,213, followed by Italy with 2,158 deaths and almost 28,000 cases. – Rappler.com