Zamboanga Peninsula (ZamPen) records an increase of recovered patients based on the Department of Health’s (DOH) daily regional reports.
As of August 5, 2020, out of the 816 confirmed COVID-19 patients in ZamPen, there are already 452 recovered cases, while the active cases are 339 patients who are isolated and admitted in the hospitals and quarantine facilities.
Dr. Dennis Dacayanan, Medical Officer of DOH IX clarified that the patient with COVID-19 can be declared recovered after at least 10 days since tested positive, does not have fever within three days and have improved condition with no signs and symptoms, as per criteria from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC).
“The patients do not need to undergo repeat testing to be discharged”, Dr. Dacayanan said. He emphasized that patients don’t need mandatory repeat RT-PCR testing to be declared as recovered. As per recent studies from the WHO and CDC, the patient will not anymore be contagious after the tenth day. In the Philippines, the number of days for quarantine was extended to 14 days as a safety net, Dr. Dacayanan added.
Dr. Dacayanan added that patients can still be positive on the RT-PCR test results but this does not mean that they are still contagious. (RVC/Myra Cel L. Espinosa)
(Source: PIA IX – Zamboanga City)