As of 3 pm Saturday, March 21, in Negros Oriental
There are 32 confirmed cases nationwide today, but the locations are not yet announced. Maybe we can just put that data as of 3 p.m. Saturday indicate no new COVID 19 cases in Negros Oriental.
Capitol Public Information Officer Bimbo Miraflor said they are waiting for the results of throat swab tests from the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine of nine people who were earlier identified as patients under investigation (PUI).
Miraflor said on Tuesday three other PUIs whose test results were returned from the RITM this past weekend yielded negative of the virus.
Prior to the declaration of a general community quarantine in Negros Oriental, the Province early this week also reported 264 persons under monitoring (PUM), while 240 persons were in the contact tracing list in Tayasan, the hometown of the first confirmed positive Covid-19 case here.
Known as PH39 in the list of confirmed cases at the Department of Health, the Tayasan councilor died Sunday after being confined for 10 days in two local hospitals here.
Miraflor disputed reports circulating on social media that the Province has a second CoViD-19 case, saying that people might have misinterpreted a DOH report which recorded a male patient from Negros Oriental who tested positive of the virus, but who was admitted in a hospital outside the Province.
The person was among those who disembarked from a cruise ship, and had tested positive of CoViD-19.
Miraflor said following the declaration placing Negros Oriental under general community quarantine, the terms PUI and PUM will no longer be used, and everyone is required to self-quarantine if they come down with symptoms.
Also, the responsibility for the monitoring of those who are symptomatic will now be under the Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs), he said.
The BHERTs now play a vital role in ensuring that people in their communities cooperate with authorities.
If they monitor and verify persons exhibiting flu-like symptoms, BHERTS is tasked to report and coordinate with the authorities, including the Provincial Epidemiology Surveillance Unit, the DOH, or the Provincial Health Office, Miraflor added. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)