La Union sees record 17 new COVID-19 cases

La Union province recorded a record 17 new Covid-19 cases on July 16, bringing the total to 46.

Of the new infections, 8 cases are from Caba, 5 from San Fernando City, and one each from Aringay, Balaoan, Bauang, and San Juan.

Caba Mayor Philip Caesar Crispino, who is also a COVID-19 case, reported that 7 of the 8 cases in his town are asymptomatic, while one is manifesting mild symptoms and all are admitted at the La Union Medical Center in Agoo.

San Fernando City Mayor Alfredo Pablo Ortega placed five barangays under a 72-hour heightened community quarantine due to the asymptomatic cases identified in these areas.

The mayors of the affected towns have initiated contact tracing and localized lockdowns in the identified barangays.

The patient from Bauang is a 40-year-old woman from Barangay Central East with no travel history, and a judge at the Regional Trial Court Branch 28 in Bauang also tested positive on July 14, prompting prosecutors to undergo swabbing.

As of July 16, La Union has 46 total cases, with four patients in hospitals, 19 discharged, 17 under strict home quarantine, and six deaths.