COVID-19 Death: The 17th Confirmed COVID-19 Case in Calasiao

The Health Office received a report of a 24 year old male from Barangay Cabilocaan who was declared Dead on Arrival (DOA) after he was rushed yesterday to a hospital in a nearby LGU. Post mortem RT PCR Test was done yesterday, September 9, 2020 and the result came out later in the evening and it was positive. Contact tracing was started last night and Punong Barangay John Paul Perez, his barangay officials and the PNP accompanied the MHO and PHN in gathering information from a relative regarding the patient, the circumstances surrounding the death, the persons who was with the case prior to his death, how he was brought to the hospital, and how the cadaver was disposed within the 12 hour period mandated by law for positive and suspect COVID-19 deaths. The patient was buried within the 12 hour regulation period. The team also visited the funeral service provider last night and it was found out that the proper and safe handling procedures of cadaver burial was observed with the handlers wearing their PPEs.

The barangay officials, the DOH HRH, BHERT and the PNP have pooled their efforts in the ongoing contact tracing activities. Initial recommendation to Mayor Joseph Arman Bauzon, head of the local IATF, is for the critical zone lockdown of Purok 4 in Barangay Cabilocaan. This lockdown zone may be widen as contact tracing continues. Contact tracing for this particular case is more difficult because the index case is already dead, thus we are asking for the full cooperation of the affected communities to help and avoid spreading false information to make it easier for the contact tracers to have access to accurate and useful data.

Again, we enjoin our townmates, especially in the affected areas of COVID-19 cases to please avoid harassing, hating and discriminating our patients, their families and their contacts. These are difficult times and we all have to join together and share in mitigating the problems brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Let us all continue practicing the minimum health safety standards of wearing facemasks and face shields, frequent washing of hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and social/physical distancing of at least 1 meter or 3 feet. Please pray for the healing and recovery of our isolated and confined COVID-19 cases, for the eternal repose of the soul of our 17th COVID-19 case, for the safety of our frontliners and pray for our town, our province, our country and the whole world, for all of us to be safe and healthy. Thank you. God bless us all.