The province of Antique has recorded its first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) death in the town of Hamtic.
Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) information officer Irene Dulduco said that the first casualty is a 61-year-old female who had been immunocompromised and bedridden during the past eight months.
“The patient, however, was brought for a consultation and treatment in a private hospital in Iloilo City last Sept. 18 where the swab test was administered as a protocol,” she said.
Dulduco said the patient passed away on the same day prior to the release of the result of her swab test.
“The swab test result was only released last September 24 where she was confirmed to have COVID-19,” she said.
The remains of the COVID-19 patient were cremated right after the positive result was released.
Dulduco added that a daughter of the fatality, one of the eight close contacts of the deceased who all underwent swab tests, turned out to be COVID-19 positive.
Meanwhile, Hamtic Municipal Mayor Julius Pacificador, in an official statement, assured his constituents that the local government unit together with the other government agencies concerned continues to work to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“I am appealing to all ‘Hamticanons’ (residents of Hamtic) to follow all the COVID-19 protocols that we had set out,” he said.
The mayor also extended his deepest sympathy to the bereaved family of the coronavirus fatality.
As of Sept. 25, the province of Antique, based on the report of the IPHO, has five active COVID-19 cases.
“There are also 53 recoveries in the province due to COVID-19,” Dulduco said.PNA
