Philippines COVID infection count reaches 202 with 17 deaths

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday reported that the total number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the country had reached 202, as 15 new cases were documented.

At the same time, five more patients who died last March 15 and March 17 have raised the total number of fatalities to 17.

The two fatalities on March 15 are a 76-year-old Filipino male (PH126) from Rizal and a 67-year-old Filipino male (PH129) from Quezon City.

The three patients who died on March 17 are a 58-year-old Filipino male (PH201) from Lanao del Sur who had traveled to Malaysia; a 65-year-old Filipino male (PH57) from Pasig City who had been to London and an 86-year-old Filipino female (PH160) from San Juan City who had no history of travel and exposure to infected individuals.

According to DOH, three new patients have recovered, increasing the number of recoveries to seven. They include the only remaining repatriates from the M/V
Diamond Princess cruise ship who contracted the virus.

Among them is a 24-year-old Filipino male (PH15) from Makati City with travel history to United Arab Emirates and a 34-year-old Filipino male (PH26) from Camarines Sur who was repatriated from the cruise ship. The latter was undergoing quarantine at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac when he tested positive for the virus.

The other one who overcame COVID-19 is a 34-year-old Filipino male (PH13) from Quezon City who had traveled to Australia.

In a related development, DOH confirmed last Tuesday that a director in its Central Office had contracted COVID-19.

But DOH Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire had denied reports that an undersecretary also got infected.

“Yes, we have an employee of the department turned positive for COVID-19. It’s a director at our Central Office,” she confirmed in an interview with dzMM.

She noted that the director is in “good condition and is not manifesting symptoms and it’s just that maybe, in the course of our jobs, we attend many meetings and speak with many people,” thus exposing them to the virus.

However, Vergeire had denied reports that an undersecretary of the DOH, who was even named in circulating text messages, had also contracted the virus.

“The reports circulating are not true. We want to clarify this because the people who have interacted with our employee who is not positive are scared. Please be careful with what you do because it can lead to stigmatization,” she added.

Meanwhile, Patricia Ann Alvaro, health education promotion officer of the provincial health office of Bulacan, told The STAR yesterday evening that a COVID-19 patient from San Ildefonso town has died. This latest death is not yet included in the official tally of the DOH that was updated at noon yesterday.

Lawmaker tests positive

Nueva Ecija Rep. Maricel Natividad-Nagaño went into self-quarantine after a congressional hearing last week with the COVID-19 positive DOH director, The STAR learned yesterday.

Nagaño is vice chair of the House committee on health that conducted a legislative hearing on government’s response to the epidemic last March 11, which was attended by the DOH director and other DOH officials led by Secretary Francisco Duque III.

Other lawmakers present at the hearing have taken precautionary measures and also went into self-quarantine – but only Nagaño has since shown symptoms.

Fellow lawmakers revealed that Nagaño only has “mild symptoms” and is “just under observation.”

Nagaño, a doctor by profession, has not disclosed yet if she has been tested, or if the result was available, as only the DOH is mandated to announce cases of the disease.

Among the lawmakers who attended the hearing were committee chair and Quezon Rep. Helen Tan, Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, Senior Citizens Rep. Francisco Datol Jr. and Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor.

The panel members are now on home quarantine as a precautionary measure.

GSIS lockdown

There are two COVID-19 cases in the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), after another one of its employees at the main office tested positive for the disease.

In a statement, GSIS president and general manager Rolando Macasaet said the male employee is confined at Las Piñas General Hospital.

Earlier, the GSIS reported that one of its regular female employees tested positive for the virus. The female employee, who had a travel history to Japan, is confined at San Juan de Dios Hospital.

“We are currently in the process of contact tracing and notifying the persons whom these two employees have had close contact with to self-quarantine,” Macasaet said.

Due to the increased threat of COVID-19, the pension fund chief ordered a lockdown of all GSIS branch offices across the country. Macasaet said he instructed all GSIS employees nationwide to work from home.

Nevertheless, he assured the public that GSIS will continue its operations.

“We will continue to accept loan applications, through the GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System (GWAPS) kiosks. We also would like to assure our pensioners that they would receive their pensions on time. Do not worry,” he said.

On the other hand, the GSIS management temporarily suspended some of its services, including the filing and processing of retirement or separation benefit claims, non-life insurance claims and GSIS Financial Assistance Loan (GFAL) applications, as well as the release of GSIS UMID eCards.

GSIS is also granting a one-month grace period on all premium remittances, loan payments, housing loan amortizations and rentals of GSIS real properties.

Observe social distancing

According to Vergeire, through social distancing, the projection that the country will have some 75,000 cases of COVID-19 in five months may not happen.

This was the estimate done by the country’s epidemiologist and disease experts, along with the World Health Organization.

“They were saying that our cases can reach 75,000 if we don’t put in place appropriate interventions… This projection is based on estimate that a person can transmit the virus to two persons in just one sitting,” she noted at a press conference.

“We can flatten this curve… If only we can implement stringent measures like social distancing,” she added. – With Edu Punay, Mary Grace Padin, Ramon Efren Lazaro