The swab test results on a patient who died early Monday at the Ospital ng Palawan (ONP) has confirmed the latest case of COVID-19 death in the city, bringing to eight the number of pandemic-related fatalities in Palawan in the last two weeks.
The confirmatory test (RT-PCR swab) result of the 25-year old female patient came out in the afternoon of April 5, after the patient reportedly succumbed to a severe case of pneumonia.
According to Palawan News sources, the patient reportedly tested positive on an antigen test at the MMG-PPC Cooperative Hospital, where she was first treated and intubated. She was reportedly transferred to the ONP, the province’s primary COVID-19 facility, where she subsequently expired.
Local authorities are expected to make a public advisory on the growing list of suspected COVID-19 cases, or those patients who tested positive on antigen test.
The testing laboratory at the ONP currently has only 13 available cartridges left, reportedly due to shortage following an increased demand for testing in Metro Manila.
The Department of Health (DOH) authorities have yet to comment when asked repeatedly on the arrival of cartridges for COVID-19 test.
In Palawan and Puerto Princesa, a total of eight individuals have died from the deadly COVID-19, from a total of 676 reported cases, with 24 active cases and 644 recoveries, as of the health bulletin on Sunday.