OFW from Naga, Cebu now ‘presumptive recovered’

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The repatriated overseas Filipino worker (OFW), who hails from the city of Naga, southern Cebu, and earlier tested for the coronavirus disease have been cleared from the virus and returned to the city on Sunday, May 31, 2020.

Naga City Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong, in an official statement, said the returning OFW, who hails from Barangay Colon, has been cleared to come home by the Department of Health (DOH-7) after testing negative “thru a rapid test and having completed 30 days full isolation in Cebu City.”

Mayor Kristine Chiong’s statement on the status of the city’s OFW repatriate who earlier tested positive for COVID-19). (City Government of Naga page)

The OFW is among the first batch of repatriates who arrived onboard MV St. Michael the Archangel last April 28.

READ: IN PHOTOS: ‘Welcome home’ for 220 Cebuano repatriated seafarers

At least 17 of the over 200 OFWs tested positive for the virus.

Although the patient has been cleared, Chiong said the OFW had agreed to undergo another swab test for reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) as an extra precaution.

“Pending [the] result of his RT-PCR Test, he has agreed to be accommodated in one of the city-managed isolation facilities at the Colon Elementary School,” Chiong said.

The patient has also been assessed by the City Health Office (CHO) and has been found “physically well,” that is without medical complaints such as fever, cough, sore throat or any COVID-19 symptoms.

The CHO also performed a rapid antibody test on the repatriated OFW, which showed that he is negative of immunoglobulin M and positive for Immunoglobulin G.

This result makes him a “presumptive recovered” from the infection, Chiong said.

However, the mayor said the city would still wait for the rt-PCR test result as the procedure would remain the DOH-acknowledged gold standard in diagnosing the infection and monitoring a patient’s recovery from  COVID-19./dbs