Bohol tourist hub, Panglao Island, records first COVID-19 patient

TAGBILARAN CITY - The tourist town of Panglao in Bohol province is no longer coronavirus disease-free as it recorded its first case of COVID-19 on Tuesday.

In a press release, the municipal government of Panglao said the patient was an employee of PhotoSynthesis, Inc. based in Makati City, and working for EEI Corporation, a construction firm handling some projects at the Bohol-Panglao International Airport.

The patient arrived in Panglao on October 17, 2020, and was initially billeted at Henann Regency Resort and Spa, a certified quarantine facility to complete the 14-day quarantine requirement set by the Panglao Inter-Agency Task Force.

A swab test was conducted on October 22, the fifth day after the patient's arrival.

On October 24, the patient was transferred to the Roman Empire Panglao Resort (REPR), another certified quarantine facility, to complete the remaining days of the mandatory quarantine.

The transfer was made in light of the arrangements made by the patient's employer with the resort.

It was reported that the patient complained of abdominal pain on Saturday night, October 24.  A doctor from LGU-Panglao immediately visited the patient for a medical check-up.

The RT- PCR test yielded positive of COVID-19 the following day.

The extraction team from the Rural Health Unit (RHU) of Panglao facilitated the transfer of the patient from the resort to an undisclosed isolation facility, which is approved by the municipal government.

Four other personnel from the RHU-Panglao, including the medical doctor, were also under quarantine for having interacted, as first generation contacts, with the confirmed positive patient.

Contract tracing activity was conducted.

The LGU emphasized that the first case of COVID-19 in Panglao is not a local transmission.

Panglao Mayor Leonila Montero encouraged all her constituents to continue to follow basic health protocols.

As of October 27, Bohol has recorded 464 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths. It has 63 active cases and 391 recoveries. -- BAP, GMA News