Baliuag mayor 'not' the 5th COVID-19 case in Bulacan, according to PHO report

According to a report by the Bulacan Provincial Health Office (PHO), Baliuag Mayor Ferdie Estrella is not the 5th COVID-19 patient in the province of Bulacan.

PHO clarified that the diagnostic result of Estrella for COVID-19 is not yet declared in the official tally of the Department of Health (DOH) as of March 17.

PHO released the statement in their official Facebook page. According to the provincial organization, the data must be verified first by the DOH before issuing an official document.

The 5th COVID-19 patient is a resident of Barangay Maasim in San Ildefonso, who was reported to be a positive case on March 15. The age, gender, as well as the hospital to where the person is admitted remain undisclosed.

As of Tuesday 4 PM, there are 68 patients under monitoring for COVID-19 and 5 patients who tested positive for the new coronavirus disease including San Ildefonso's.

The 4 other COVID-19 patients are from 3 municipalities including San Jose del Monte, Malolos, and Guiguinto. SJDM has 2 confirmed cases, while Malolos and Guiguinto have 1 confirmed case each.

Although the document regarding Estrella's case is not yet released, PHO assured that they will implement contact tracing immediately on Wednesday in the town of Baliuag.

On the other hand, Estrella appealed for the cooperation of the public and asked that they follow quarantine procedures imposed by the local authorities to help contain the viral disease.

The entire Luzon has been placed under an “enhanced community quarantine” on Monday due to the COVID-19 threat.

As of March 17, the DOH reported 187 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, including 14 fatalities.