— With Noel Talacay
THE coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread in the country, with 82 new cases confirmed on Monday, according to the Department of Health.
According to the DOH’s latest COVID-19 Case Bulletin, the total number of cases in the country was 462 as of 4 p.m. on Monday. There were eight additional fatalities, bringing the total to 33. There was one recovery, for a total of 18.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Sunday the public should expect more confirmed cases in the coming days as health authorities are now to conduct more tests with the availability of test kits. On Monday, she said having an “artificial” increase does not mean that all “newly-confirmed” cases are just from their backlogs.
“Just because we said this might just be an ‘artificial’ rise doesn’t mean cases are not really increasing. It is increasing but it comes with our (backlogs) as we slowly attain a stable laboratory testing capacity,” she said in a press briefing.
The first new fatality is Patient 281 who is a 57-year-old Filipino male from Mandaluyong City with no travel history. He expired on March 19 from septic shock, severe pneumonia, COVID-19 while having comorbidities of acute kidney injury secondary to pre-renal azotemia; and diabetes mellitus hypertension. He was confirmed positive for COVID-19 on March 20.
Second is Patient 266, who is a 71-year-old Filipino male from Quezon City with no travel and exposure history. He was confirmed positive for COVID-19 on March 20 and expired on the same day from septic shock, community-acquired Pneumonia-HR, COVID-19 with comorbidities of acute kidney injury secondary to pre-renal azotemia cardiomyopathy secondary to ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus.
Third is Patient 279, who is a 73-year-old Filipino male from San Juan City with no travel history. He expired on March 16 from septic shock, community-acquired pneumonia-HR with comorbidities of chronic kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and ischemic heart disease. He was confirmed positive for COVID-19 on March 20.
Fourth death is Patient 304, who is an 89-year-old Filipino male from Bulacan with no travel history, but with exposure to a known COVID-19 case. He expired on March 20 at 10:50PM due to myocardial infarction, pneumonia, multiple electrolyte imbalance with comorbidities acute kidney injury, benign prostatic hyperplasia. He was confirmed positive for COVID-19 on March 21.
Fifth case is Patient 328, who is a 74-year-old Filipino male from Quezon City with no travel history. He expired on March 13 from acute respiratory failure secondary to community-acquired pneumonia with comorbidities hypertension and kidney disease. He was confirmed positive for COVID-19 on March 21.
Sixth death is Patient 333, who is a 65-year-old Filipino male from Quezon City with no travel history. He was confirmed positive for COVID-19 on March 21 and died on at same day from acute respiratory distress syndrome, COVID-19, pneumonia with comorbidities hypertension and kidney disease.
Seventh death is Patient 367, 78, Filipino male from Parañaque City. He was confirmed positive for COVID-19 on March 21 and expired on March 22 due to acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock community-acquired pneumonia-high risk; COVID-19 with comorbidities chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The last fatality is Patient 349, a 56-year-old Filipino male from Parañaque City with no travel and exposure history. He expired on March 17 from acute respiratory failure secondary to acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to acute viral pneumonia with comorbidities diabetes mellitus and hypertension. He was confirmed positive for COVID-19 on March 21.
Patient 73, the lone latest recovery, is a 54-year-old Filipino male from Manila with travel history to Thailand and had exposure to known COVID-19 cases. He was confirmed positive for COVID-19 on March 13 and was discharged on March 21.
Taguig City Mayor Lino Cayetano said there were four additional COVID cases in the city, bringing the total to 12.
Eleven of the 28 barangays in Taguig have no COVID cases.
Cayetano said barangay officials should not be complacent. “If a barangay with zero cases becomes complacent and neglects the protocols on quarantine, possible carriers may once again roam the streets, expose the whole community and even neighboring barangays,” he said.
On the other hand, barangays with confirmed cases should not panic, he said.