Coronavirus patient sneaks out of Davao City isolation facility

DAVAO CITY, Philippines –  Mayor Sara Duterte on Monday, May 11, said that a female COVID-19 patient has escaped from an isolation facility, prompting the city government to beef up the number of personnel securing these facilities for patients with confirmed and suspected coronavirus disease.

Duterte said that the female patient snuck out of the facility on Saturday, May 9. Authorities are now looking for her. The names of the patient and the facility have not been publicly disclosed.

“Up to now, we are still searching for her,” Duterte said in a statement.

The mayor said authorities went to the patient’s house in Barangay 23-C but she was not there.

“We do not know where she is as of the moment,” Duterte said.

It was not clear how the patient managed to sneak out, considering that Duterte herself said that all isolation facilities are guarded.

Duterte acknowledged that there had been attempts by other patients to escape from isolation.

The patient’s escape took place while the city tries to cope with the uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases.

Citing statistics from the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), the City Information Office said since the outbreak started, 161 individuals have already tested positive for the pathogen, as of Monday.

Of the figure, 57 are active cases while a total of 81 patients have recovered. Twenty-two other patients had died while being treated.

The Department of Health (DOH) said that nationwide, the country has recorded 11,086 confirmed coronavirus cases and the death toll has climbed to 726 as of Monday.

A total of 1,999 patients have recovered.

Testing centers

Meanwhile, the city government is also trying to put up more testing centers to determine the extent of COVID-19 cases in Davao City.

Currently, coronavirus testing is only being done at the SPMC, which also doubles as the COVID-19 treatment facility in the Davao region. (READ: Where are testing centers for coronavirus in PH?)

Duterte said that the Los Amigos Health Center has undergone inspection and based on the city government and hospital’s timeline, it could start testing in a month.

The Los Amigos Health Center will boost the testing capacity of SPMC, which processes 80 samples a day.

The Davao Doctor’s Hospital, the Brokenshire Hospital, and a privately owned laboratory are also being prepared to conduct coronavirus testing. – Rappler.com