Tarlac records 3 new COVID-19 cases, total rises to 7

PAMPANGA, Philippines – Tarlac province recorded 3 more cases of the novel coronavirus disease or COVID-19 on Sunday, March 29, bringing to 7 the total number of patients who have tested positive for the deadly virus.

Videostreaming over the Tarlac provincial government’s official Facebook page on Sunday afternoon, Governor Susan Yap broke the bad news to her constituents.

“Mga kababayan kong Tarlaqueño, ngayong March 29, 2020, may mga resulta po tayong galing RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine). Tatlo po dito ay nag-positive, bringing the total number ng nag-positive sa COVID-19 sa probinsya sa pito,” she disclosed.

(My fellowTarlaqueños, this March 29, 2020 we received results from RITM. Three of these were posiitive, bringing the total number of COVID-19 positive persons in the province to 7.)

She said that one of the new COVID-19 patients was a 64-year-old man from Barangay San Miguel, Tarlac City who was earlier admitted to a private hospital in the city, but who expired on March 23 while waiting for the results of his test.

The second is a 70-year-old man from Camiling town who previously traveled to Italy.

Yap said the patient was tested for the coronavirus on March 24 and was able to recover until his discharge from the hospital on March 27.

The third patient is a 41-year-old man from Barangay San Rafael, Tarlac City and is still confined in a private hospital.

“Naghihintay pa po tayo ng 20 results from RITM,” the governor said. (We are still awaiting 20 results from RITM.)

Yap appealed to her constituents to cooperate with the authorities, stay home and always practice social distancing.

“Naiintindihan po namin na kailangan ninyong bumili ng inyong essential needs para sa araw-araw. Pero kapag nagpunta po tayo sa mga crowded places, siguraduhin po natin na may tamang distansya po tayo sa isa’t-isa,” she said.

(We understand that you need to buy your daily essential needs. But when we go to crowded places, make sure that we have the right distance from one another.)

As of Sunday, March 29, Tarlac has 17,063 persons under monitoring, 261 persons under investigation (PUI) with mild symptoms, and 62 PUI with severe symptoms.

Yap placed the entire province of Tarlac under Extreme Enhanced Community Quarantine at 12:01 am on March 29. She earlier said that out of the some 1.4 million residents of Tarlac, there are only a few health workers who could attend to their medical needs.

It was in Tarlac where Filipino reptriates from the Diamond Princess cruise ship were quarantined in February. 

Nationwide as of Sunday afternoon, March 29, there are a total of 1,418 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 71 deaths, and 42 recorded recoveries. – Rappler.com