Manila, June 2 -- The expanded coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) testing in southern Iloilo helped traced Igbaras town's first patient, the Department of Health-Center for Health Development (DOH-CHD) 6 (Western Visayas) said on Monday.

A 55-year-old local man brought the region's Covid-19 cases to 114, Dr. Jessie Glen Alonsabe, DOH-CHD 6's regional epidemiologist, said in a regular virtual presser.

Igbaras Mayor Jaime Esmeralda told the Philippine News Agency the patient was among the 50 persons swabbed during expanded Covid-19 testing last May 27.

He confirmed the patient has no travel history and no known contact with any suspect or Covid-19-positive case.

"He stayed at home for two and a half months," the mayor added.

Esmeralda, who is also a medical doctor, has pushed for the case to be further investigated to help the local government unit in its decision-making.

"We have to consider (that) if the patient has no travel history, we can say that someone in our town is an asymptomatic carrier," he said.

He told Igbaras locals to remain calm as the town has already mobilized its contact tracing task force to trace individuals who came in close contact with the patient 14 days before May 27.

Esmeralda said the local government unit has to adjust its policies and orders as the health situation develops.

"All our policies now will be towards the protection of the locals, to contain the possible people who had in contact with the patient. That is our number one goal," he said.

Alonsabe said the patient's positive result was released along with the 229 laboratory results given by the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) sub-national laboratory on Monday.

He said the patient is asymptomatic and is currently observing home quarantine.