DOH reports 2nd coronavirus death in Western Visayas

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas on Monday, March 30, confirmed the second coronavirus death in the region.

The 70-year-old male patient from Lambunao, Iloilo, died of complications related to the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, on Sunday night, March 29, DOH-Region 6 confirmed late Monday.

DOH-Region 6 also announced two new coronavirus cases in Iloilo, raising the total cases in Western Visayas to 18. The new patients are a 44-year-old amn from Jaro in Iloilo City,  and a 51-year-old woman from Guimbal town.

The DOH said the 70-year-old coronavirus patient died  just a few hours after being confirmed as one of the newest coronavirus cases in the region, Dr Jane Juanico, head of the Infectious Disease Section of DOH Region VI, told Rappler.

Juanico said the patient was confined at the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao district. He preexisting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes.

The man had no travel history outside of Iloilo, but DOH-6 suggested that he might have contracted the infection from some possibly asymptomatic relatives who recently visited Thailand.

The 70-year-old patient was the first patient to be confirmed as positive for COVID-19 prior to his death.

The region’s first coronavirus death was a  72-year-old man Mandurriao who was a person under investigation (PUI) at the time of his death on March 21. The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) released his positive test results on March 27.

Localized testing in Iloilo City began middle of last week, with DOH accrediting the WVMC as a test hub, and allotting 5,000 kits to run the facility. Before that, the region had to transport patient specimens to the RITM in Metro Manila for testing, and there was a 5- to 6-day wait for test results due to the volume of tests in Metro Manila and the the difficulty in transporting specimens from Iloilo to Manila due to Luzon’s lockdown.

As of Monday, the Philippines recorded 1,546 coronavirus cases, including 78 deaths and 42 recoveries. – Rappler.com