Anakalusugan Representative Mike Defensor on Tuesday, March 16, announced that he tested positive for COVID-19.

“I tested positive. It’s not severe,” Defensor said in an online interview with reporters on Tuesday.

The lawmaker said he tested positive on March 3, or two weeks prior to his public announcement. He added that he felt ill only for one day and recovered immediately.

Defensor said his only close contacts were his family members who all tested negative, and that he had coordinated with the administrators of his subdivision and his local government.

He said he was waiting for his latest test results that he anticipated would be negative.

Defensor represents Anakalusugan which advocates for better healthcare services in the country.

The lawmaker got infected with the coronavirus disease amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, where some stricter quarantine measures are being reimposed in virus epicenter Metro Manila and other parts of the country a year into the pandemic. – Rappler.com