BARMM lawmaker tested positive of COVID-19
BANGSAMORO NEWS UPDATES • 11:00 AM Thu Sep 10, 2020
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By:
Edwin O. Fernandez
BTA Member of Parliament Dr. Marjanie Mimbantas-Macasalong
COTABATO CITY – A member of Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao legislative body today admitted he was infected with novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), making him the second BARMM ranking official to have the virus.
“I am sad to announce and inform the public that I tested positive for COVID-19,” Dr. Marjanie Mimbantas-Macasalong, parliament member of the BARMM’s Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), said in a statement released today.
MP Macasalong said on Sunday, Sept. 6, he had fever, experienced headache and body pain so he isolated himself.
After two days he felt better but did not take any chances so he underwent swab tests. The results came out early today.
“As to how and where I got the virus, I have no idea,” he said.
Macasalong has already advised his family members, office staff and field workers as well as all people who had close contact with him in the past two weeks to undergo self-isolation and submit for swabbing when necessary.
He is the second BARMM legislators who tested positive of the virus.
On Sept. 2, Dr. Saffrullah Dipatuan, BARMM health minister, also admitted he and his wife have the COVID-19. Both are now in isolation at Amai PakPak Medical Center in Marawi City.
Macasalong was one of the 10 new confirmed COVID-19 positive patients in the region listed by the health ministry.
In a bulletin, six of the new cases were from Maguindanao and four in Lanao del Sur.
BARMM now has a total of 749 confirmed cases with 187 active cases and 22 fatalities. Health authorities said 44 have recovered from the virus on Wednesday, raising the number of recovery to 540 or a 72 percent.
