First Leyte virus transmission confirmed

Petilla is referring to the town’s 32nd confirmed COVID-19 patient, a 29-year- old male who is listed as person under monitoring

PALO, Leyte — The Department of Health in Eastern Visayas confirmed nine new cases of coronavirus disease infection in the region on Sunday, wherein one of these cases could be the first community transmission in Leyte province.

“I am confirming that Palo has now a local community transmission of COVID-19,” posts Palo Mayor Frances Ann Petilla in her official Facebook account on Monday morning.

Petilla is referring to the town’s 32nd confirmed COVID-19 patient, a 29-year-old male who is listed as “person under monitoring” and undergoing quarantine at Palo Care Center until swab results came out.

I am confirming that Palo has now a local community transmission of COVID-19.

The patient is a son of a 61-year-old male COVID-19 positive who is currently confined at Leyte Provincial Hospital. When the father’s swab result came out on 28 July, three other members of the household were also tested for the disease but PCR test result came out negative for all three of them. A total of 16 close contacts were tested and only Patient 32 came out positive.

Petilla said contact tracing for the close contacts of Palo Patient 32 is already being done and swab samples will be taken for PCR test.

Local transmission of COVID-19 have previously been reported in at least three cities and three municipalities of Leyte province but this is the first confirmation of community transmission for the province and second in Eastern Visayas region. The first community transmission in the region happened in Tarangnan, Samar.

Petilla said contact tracing for the close contacts of Palo Patient 32 is already being done and swab samples will be taken for PCR test.

A declaration of a community transmission in Palo town creates a different dimension on the spread of disease in Eastern Visayas being the host of regional offices of different national government agencies including Department of Health, Philippine National Police, Civil Service Commission, and Department of Education among others.

As of noon 3 August, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the region is already at 982 with 670 recoveries and three deaths.