Cotabato City frontline doc: No new COVID19 cases since mid-March

COTABATO CITY - There has been no new reported case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in this city since last month. Thanks to a timely lockdown on interior areas imposed by the city government, said Dr. Faisal Samanodi, one of the frontline physicians serving local hospitals.

But City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi said she was not taking chances, as she directed village officials as well as police and military personnel to stand more vigilant 24 hours a day on transits of goods and people in-and-out of the city.

She said only the city government-issued pass cards were to be honored by local authorities; not those issued by other LGUs.

Samanodi said the Cotabato Regional Medical Center (CRMC) and other local hospitals here have had no new recorded cases of the dreaded disease since mid-March.

According to health professionals any epidemic-map is drawn of common cases of patient-disease diagnosis recorded from specific areas in a particular period.

Based on this, Samanodi added that if the situation were any indication and would be sustained, the city can soon be “COVID-free.”

He said COVID-19 patients have all been discharged and in the past weeks no new symptomatic nor asymptomatic patients were taken to local hospitals; not even persons under investigation (PUI) or person under monitoring (PUM).

“Yung kasing COVID patients ay discharge na lahat (COVID patients have all been discharged), and for the past few weeks ay wala na tayong (and we have had no more) new admission kahit (even) PUI (and) PUM,” Samanodi said. 

“Thanks for the prompt LGU action to contain the disease. Hope tuloy-tuloy na ito at ma lift na ang lockdown (Hope this can be sustained, and the lockdown can eventually be lifted). However (we) recommend (people) to continue wearing of mask as well as maintain the social distancing.”