ILOILO CITY – Three coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients in Western Visayas have recuperated, bringing the region’s total recoveries to 11, the Department of Health - Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) 6 (Western Visayas) reported on Wednesday.
Dr. Renilyn Reyes, head of the DOH-CHD 6’s Public Health Program Development, said two of the new recoveries are from Aklan province and one from Capiz province.
In a virtual press conference, Reyes identified the new recoveries as Western Visayas (WV) patients 5 and 13 from Aklan and patient 19 from Capiz.
Meanwhile, in a virtual presser on Tuesday, Dr. Cornelio Cuachon, Aklan’s provincial health officer, confirmed the recovery of the province’s two Covid-19 patients.
“We have two negative (results). This is the case from Libacao, as well as the case from Malay,” Cuachon said, referring to the 81-year-old man from Licabao who was sent home from the hospital on Wednesday and the 37-year-old man from Malay who would remain in quarantine at the Aklan Training Center.
In an official statement, Capiz’s Provincial Health Office said its “second confirmed case of Covid-19 was already discharged -- improved and in generally well condition -- from (the) Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital.”
The new recovery in Capiz is a 53-year-old man from Mambusao town.
Reyes explained that the health department follows a new policy in determining the recoveries.
Contrary to the former policy, which only classifies patients as "recovered" through a negative reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) result, she said a Covid-19 patient could now be classified as recovered if his or her rapid diagnostic test shows positive Immunoglobulin G (IgG).
The IgG grows in the immune system if an individual is at a recovery phase from sickness, Reyes explained.
“Our recovered patients from Covid-19 can test negative for RT-PCR or if there is no RT-PCR, he or she has positive IgG antibody,” she said, noting, however, that both policies require a clinical resolution of signs and symptoms from a doctor.
If the patient manifests no fever for three days and records improvements in respiratory symptoms and chest X-rays, a health worker can declare that he or she has clinical resolution.
Reyes said experts also use other parameters, such as diagnostic and laboratory results, to assess the patients.
Once a recovered patient is discharged from a temporary treatment facility or a hospital, he or she will still undergo 14 days of quarantine.
“If the patient has recovered in terms of signs and symptoms after 14 days, he or she will be assessed by the health worker, particularly a doctor, to give him the certification of recovery and has no symptoms,” she said.
To date, the region has 55 confirmed cases of Covid-19, two of which are new cases – a 54-year-old man from Bacolod City and a 51-year-old woman from La Paz in this city.
The top three areas with the most cases of Covid-19 in the region are Iloilo province with 18; Antique with nine; and Bacolod City with eight. (PNA)
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