Teacher dies of COVID-19; medical worker daughter gets infected

COTABATO CITY —A 61-year-old public school teacher in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, who was due to retire next year, died Thursday of coronavirus disease 2019, Mayor Maritess Pallasigue said.

“Her remains were cremated Thursday evening,” Mayor Pallasigue said in a phone interview.

After complaining of  fever and mild coughs, relatives rushed the teacher to a hospital where she was swabbed for COVID laboratory tests,  and later found to have coronavirus. 

She died on Thursday morning.

Mayor Pallasigue said the teacher was exposed to her husband, relatives, and neighbors prior to her hospitalization, and to people in a wedding event last Saturday.

Likewise, the victim  attended Mass services at the town’s main church before she was rushed to the hospital last Sunday afternoon.

Pallasigue said that the 65 teachers who came in close contact with the victim and her husband, who is a school principal, are now under quarantine. Four of them have tested positive for COVID-19 based on the rapid test conducted by the town health office.

The mayor added that the town health office is also awaiting the swab test result of the teacher’s husband.

The victim has two children —one working as pharmacist of a government hospital and another, a nurse, works at a private hospital in Isulan.

Mayor Pallasigue said three residential compounds in a purok in Isulan have been placed under lockdown while contact tracing is being undertaken. 

“The situation is under control, all persons with whom the teacher had in contact with have been traced,” Pallasigue said, adding that contact tracing continues to avert possible local transmission.

She also appealed to all who knowingly and unknowingly had close contact with any of the teacher’s family and relatives to see the town health office.

To date, three persons have died due to Covid 19 since March 18 in Sultan Kudarat.  One in Tacurong Ctiy and the other in Lambayong. —LBG, GMA News