Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 18) — General Santos City is back to being coronavirus-free after its first and only confirmed case has recovered, Mayor Ronnel Rivera said.
The General Santos Doctors Hospital sent off the 59-year-old male patient on Saturday, after he tested negative for COVID-19.
The city’s Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Inc. office. covered all of the patient’s treatment expenses which amounted to over ₱700,000, office head Nol Valila said.
However, governor Rivera said 98 patients remain under monitoring for possible infection. The city is still under total lockdown.
Meanwhile, Ilocos Norte has not reported any new cases for the past 16 days but 160 patients are still being monitored, its official Facebook account announced.
Ilocos Sur Governor Ryan Singson also said on Thursday that there are no more confirmed cases in the province after 17 patients received negative test results. Eleven of these patients are still in treatment facilities receiving medical care, he added. The local government also lifted the lockdown on Barangay Magsaysay, Tagudin, where a former patient resides.
Stringer Roland Ortillano contributed to this report.
