Aklan’s 3 coronavirus cases all travelled to Manila

AKLAN, Philippines –  Aklan province in Western Visayas, where the famous tourist island Boracay is located, recorded 3 cases of the novel coronavirus disease. 

All of them had history of travel to the country capital, the center of coronavirus outbreak in the country, said provincial health officer Cornelio Cuachon Jr.

A 37-year-old man from Malay town was the latest in the province to test positive for Covid-19. The medical practitioner experienced colds, cough and sore throat on March 10. He was isolated in a temporary holding facility in Kalibo town. 

The two earlier cases in Aklan were the 81-year old man from Libacao town and a 68-year old man from Kalibo town. They also have history of travel to Manila. 

The 81-year old male from Libacao was initially admitted to the provincial hospital Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital (DRSTMH) on March 16 and was confined for 5 days.

He had been discharged and was under self-quarantine at home when his results arrived from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Manila on May 27. It prompted the hospital to readmit him a day later.

The 68-year old male from Kalibo town was still confined at the provincial hospital when his results arrived. The retired government employee who manifested flu-like symptoms like cough was admitted to the hospital on March 20.

Alert Level 2

The admission of new cases prompted the provincial hospital to declare Alert Level 2 for coronavirus, which is raised if a hospital has 4 to 6 confirmed cases. Other than the residents who tested positive, the hospital unknowingly admitted a coronavirus patient from Romblon province, which may have exposed its staff to the virus. 

The 60-year old German national from San Jose, Romblon was transferred on March 25 from San Jose District Hospital to the Kalibo hospital. The foreigner was confirmed positive for coronavirus on March 28.

An asymptomatic 42-year old female helper, with a history of exposure to the patient from Romblon, was placed in isolation at the hospital. She was still waiting for her test results. 

Cuachon said 33 samples were also collected on March 30 from the health staff of the provincial hospital – health care workers, doctors, and helpers – after they were exposed to a positive case. They are considered people under monitoring (PUM) for the disease. They were placed under strict quarantine as they waited for results from the WVM.  

The provincial health office had invited volunteer doctors and medical workers to assist the hospital if the situation got worse.

A resident of Ibagay town who was considered a person under investigation (PUI) for coronavirus tested negative for the virus. He was admitted in the isolation ward of Aklan provincial hospital. 

The province has 29 PUIs and 1,123 PUMs in home-isolation, a number which went down after thousands of PUMs have completed their 14-day quarantine.

Boracay shops are closed

The Aklan provincial government has imposed a curfew – from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. – on its 600,000 residents to stem the spread of the virus. 

Many of the resorts, hotels, shops and establishments in Boracay Island were closed except for banks and remittance centers, water refilling stations, markets, stores, medical services and gas stations. 

The province has also closed its borders and the local police has put up checkpoints in different barangays to monitor the entry and exit of the residents. 

Up to 91 violaters of curfew hours were arrested in the towns of Kalibo and Malay alone from March 18 to March 29, based on police records. – Rappler.com