BY JHON ALDRIN CASINAS
Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said Sunday that the number of typhoon-hit evacuees in the city who have tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rose to five.
In an interview over ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo, Teodoro said that out of the 153 evacuees who were “reactive” to the rapid testing, five were found positive for virus after undergoing a confirmatory swab test.
“And out of that 153, may lima na nag-positibo at nasa quarantine facilities ngayon ito,” he continued.
According to the mayor, individuals who made contact with the five COVID-positive patients have all tested negative for the virus.
To prevent the spread of the virus among the evacuees, the local government has conducted rapid testing of residents affected by typhoon “Ulysses” who are still staying at evacuation centers.
“Ang ginagawa natin is early detection kaya nag-rapid test tayo sa mga evacuation centers,” Teodoro said.
Those who would test reactive in the rapid testing, will immediately undergo a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and will be placed under quarantine.
Contact tracing will be also done to identify those who have made contact with individuals who have tested positive for the virus in the PCR test.
The local government has already deployed 190 contact tracers to evacuation facilities. (Jhon Aldrin Casinas)
