THE City Health Office said a total of 680 households in Barangay Camaman-an in Cagayan de Oro City has been traced for possible exposure to the 69-year-old male coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patient in the village who expired on April 18.
City Health epidemiologist Dr. Joey Retuya said the patient was a small store owner in the said barangay, and not a market vendor in Cogon market.
He had no travel history.
“Puyo ra na siya pirmi sa iyang balay, wala na siyay gawas-gawas (He just stayed in his house, he did not went outside),” Retuya said.
He had pre-existing conditions, such as benign prostatic hypertrophy and was already on catheter.
On April 11, the patient, along with his grandson went to a private hospital to consult with a doctor for complaints on joint pains. The doctor including the doctor’s secretary were also already traced.
The patient went home after he was given medication on joint pains.
On April 12, he stayed home but on the following day, April 13, he began to complain of chills and fever and was admitted to a private hospital. There, the patient developed shortness of breath.
On April 15, he was referred to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC). He was swabbed on April 17 but expired on the early morning of April 18.
He tested positive for the coronavirus, but his result only arrived almost a week after his death.
Retuya said the patient had five children, two of them are living separately while three are living in the same household.
All 16 family members, including the driver who transported the patient to the hospital are placed in the city isolation unit.
Retuya said all of them showed no signs and symptoms of the virus so far.
The patient was buried at Bolonsiri Public Cemetery in Barangay Camaman-an, following the Department of Health protocols on the burial of patients who succumbed to Covid-19.
City Mayor Oscar Moreno maintained that he will not impose lockdown in the barangay.
“I hope you also realize what will be the implications to the hardships of the lives of the residents. It’s easy to say lockdown but I hope you see what happened in Luzon. What’s important is the people in the area are already aware, with the extensive deep contact tracing and surveillance. I don’t think we need to do more than that. Importante thorough evaluation, we need to get a good feel on the real situation on the ground. God forbid, if the number of infected will increase, that’s another story altogether,” Moreno said.