The Provincial Health Office (PHO) has corrected an error it made in the recording of a new local case for Brooke’s Point and Araceli. As it turned out, the patient – a 61-year-old government employee – was erroneously listed as new cases separately by both municipalities.
The patient was counted in the Brooke’s Point tally by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) because she manifested symptoms in the town while visiting her relatives.
Separately, an official statement by Brooke’s Point announced that a 61-year-old resident of Barangay Pangobilian, who had travel history in Araceli and Puerto Princesa, had tested positive.
Araceli mayor Sue Cudilla said in a phone interview that she received information that a resident of her town, who has not been outside Palawan, was swabbed on April 2 because she was feeling ill. Her test results came back positive on April 5.
“It’s up to the discretion of the provincial authorities nga lang kung saan bibilangin, kasi hindi naman pa natutukoy kung saan ba siya nahawa. Kasi bumiyahe pa siya eh, from Araceli to Roxas, tapos from Roxas dumiretso sa Brooke’s Point. Noong naroon siya, nakaramdam na siya ng medyo masakit ang tiyan, medyo nilalagnat, kaya nagpa-swab siya sa Brooke’s Point,” said Cudilla Monday evening.
Cudilla also clarified that the patient is 61 and not 62 years old as earlier reported.
Provincial Health Officer (PHO) Dr. Erika Faye Labrador initially confirmed on Monday that a 62-year-old female from Araceli was indeed new local COVID-19 case. She later clarified, however, that the patient would not be counted in Araceli, but in Brooke’s Point, despite being a resident of Araceli.
The patient is currently confined at the Southern Palawan Provincial Hospital (SPPH), while her close contacts in Brooke’s Point and Araceli have been placed in isolation to undergo tests.
Furthermore, Cudilla said two of the patient’s close contacts in Araceli were reactive to a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and will be subjected to confirmatory tests.