COVID-19 pandemic in Calabarzon


The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Calabarzon, Philippines on March 7, 2020, when the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 was confirmed in Cainta, Rizal. All provinces in the region has confirmed cases. Calabarzon became the third most affected region by COVID-19 in the country, behind Central Visayas and Metro Manila, with more than 1,500 confirmed cases and at least 100 deaths.

Background

The first confirmed COVID-19 case in Calabarzon is a 62-year-old male, a resident of Cainta, Rizal, who frequented a Muslim prayer hall in San Juan, Metro Manila. The patient was admitted at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan, Metro Manila on March 1 and was diagnosed with severe pneumonia. The case was confirmed on March 5 and the man was referred to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa. The individual's case is also the first confirmed local transmission of COVID-19 in the country having no travel history abroad. The patient's wife also contracted the disease.
Mayor Kit Nieto of Cainta, ordered the immediate provision of face masks and disinfectants in areas near the residence of the patient. The patient's family, as well as his neighbors, were placed under quarantine. Nieto suspended classes in Cainta from March 7 to 10 and placed the city under community quarantine since March 15.
Aside from Rizal, all provinces have confirmed cases. The first case per province by date of confirmation as is as follows:
Calabarzon was under the scope of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon imposed by the national government on March 16.