The Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) 6 (Western Visayas) said on Saturday the 41 repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the region took the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) test.

Dr. May Ann Soliva-Sta. Lucia, DOH-CHD 6’s Health Promotion head, said in a virtual presser that swab samples were collected from the repatriates for the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing.

Meanwhile, Soliva-Sta. Lucia also announced that for two straight days, no Covid-19-positive case was recorded in Western Visayas.

The 229 laboratory results from Western Visayas Medical Center sub-national laboratory were all negative, she said.

“We have been zero since yesterday and the number of recoveries is increasing. That is good news for the region,” she said.

The recoveries of a 21-year-old male from Miag-ao, Iloilo, and a 42-year-old male from La Castellana, Negros Occidental brought the number of Covid-19 survivors to 38.

“For the batch three (of the repatriates), the total number of overseas Filipinos is 41,” she said.

Of the 41, 23 are from Iloilo province, 12 are from Iloilo City, five from Guimaras, and one from Negros Occidental.

From Manila, the 40 from Panay and Guimaras arrived in Iloilo City while the one from Negros Occidental arrived on Friday in Bacolod City.

“Guimaras, we have five repatriates who were all tested for RT-PCR and the results are still pending,” she said.

She said all the 23 from Iloilo province and 12 from this city were all tested and waiting for the results.

Soliva-Sta. Lucia said the testing was done at Ferrymar Hotel here, which was already inspected by the DOH, Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Friday.

“All of them are stable and we have zero positive and zero negative because the test has been just recently conducted,” she said.

The repatriate in Negros Occidental was not subjected to the RT-PCR testing because “the hard copy of his RT-PCR from Manila has not yet given to DOH for verification, ” she said.

“The DOH, with BOQ and the OWWA, coordinated with the regional task force sub-task group on repatriation for the arrival of the 41 and we coordinated with Iloilo Provincial Health Office and City Health Office for swab testing of the repatriates,” she said.

As of Saturday, she said the number of repatriates who tested positive for the virus remains at 23.

Eleven of these repatriates were admitted to a health facility, 10 are on facility quarantine, and two were already discharged. (PNA)