2nd COVID-19 death in NMI

A second patient who tested positive for COVID-19 died yesterday at the Commonwealth Health Center, according to a statement from the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force.

The patient was a 77-year-old woman who was seen at CHC last March 28 and was considered to be a “person under investigation.” The patient also had underlying medical conditions.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our community member. Our thoughts are with the deceased’s family during this difficult time,” said Esther Muña, chief executive officer of the Commonwealth Health Care Corp., which runs CHC. She added that the COVID-19 Task Force will render all necessary assistance to the family of the deceased.

“We must take courage and continue to play our part to fight this virus,” added Muña.

In a statement by the Office of the Governor, it said the patient was admitted to CHC where the staff monitored her diagnosis and multiple medical conditions. CHC has already started to do contact tracing of the deceased’s close contacts.

“On behalf of the people of the CNMI, we extend our deepest condolences and prayers to the family of another member of our community. This is a battle that cannot be won if we do not fight this together,” said Gov. Ralph DLG Torres in the statement.

He added that the COVID-19 Task Force and CHCC will continue to work hard to protect everyone in the CNMI with the test kits, medical resources, and protective equipment that the CNMI’s federal partners recently gave the CNMI.

As of April 7, there are eight confirmed COVID-19 cases and two deaths in the CNMI.

COVID-19 in Guam

In just a little under a month, Guam has seen a rise in their number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, with another positive case on Monday that boosted the island’s total to 113 confirmed positive cases.

According to Pacific Daily News, Maj. Antone Aguon, Guam’s Department of Corrections administrative services division chief, announced late yesterday afternoon that a DOC recruit in Guam tested positive for COVID-19.

The recruit told prison officials that one of his family member tested positive for the virus last week Friday. According to a DOC officials statement, the employee was told not to report for duty and to go into self-quarantine Three days later, the employee was tested and the results were positive for the virus.

Additionally, it was reported that Guam’s acting DOC director, Joe Carbullido, instructed 38 recruits who could have had contact with the recruit who tested positive to also go on self-quarantine at home.

According to the Joint Information Center, as of 4:25pm, April 7, the Department of Public Health and Social Services tested 13 individuals for COVID-19 last April 6. One tested positive through DPHSS and 12 tested negative.

The 113 confirmed positive cases in Guam include two clinically diagnosed cases and nine confirmed by the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, California.

As of yesterday, Guam has a total of the 113 positive cases, two clinically diagnosed, 27 recoveries, and four deceased.