COVID-19 death toll in EV rises to 63
TACLOBAN CITY- Five pregnant women from the town of Carigara in Leyte tested positive of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
And two of them are scheduled to deliver their babies today(Nov.2) with the three others anytime this month, Maricel Pores, one of the members of swabbing testing group of the local government said in a phone interview, said.
According to Pores, as part of the protocols, the five women were swabbed on October 29 with the positive result released the following day by the Department of Health (DOH).
“As per protocol, these pregnant women were swabbed on October 29. Unfortunately, their results, which were released the following day, turned positive. Immediately, they were brought to our isolation facility together with their husbands,” Pores said.
She, however, could not say how these women, whose ages ranged from early 20s to 30s, acquired the virus.
“Contact tracing is now being done for us to determine where they acquired the virus,” Pores added.
She also assured that the doctors and other medical staff at the Carigara District Hospital who will help these women deliver their babies would be protected from possibly acquiring the COVID-19 virus.
She could not also say if the babies of these pregnant women would be tested or be isolated from their mothers.
Pores said that this is the first case in their town wherein pregnant women were tested positive of the virus.
“The last time we conducted swab test to pregnant women last October 19, all the results were negative. This is the first time that we have this kind of situation,” she added.
Meantime, the DOH announced that Eastern Visayas has now 6,775 COVID-19 cases since March of this year.
The region posted 24 new cases coming from the provinces of Leyte with 19; Northern Samar, four; and one from Samar province.
The region’s death toll due to COVID-19 has now reached to 63 with the latest deaths involving a 51-year old man from Kananga town, Leyte and a 68-year old woman from Las Navas in Northern Samar.
The two died on October 31. (JOEY A. GABIETA/LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
