MANILA - Northern Samar 1st District Rep. Paul Daza said Wednesday he was hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page, the lawmaker, who is a vice chairperson of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, said he was diagnosed coronavirus-positive on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

"In the meantime, I shall continue to do my work in the House of Representatives from my hospital room through teleconferencing and online mode," said Daza, who is in an undisclosed hospital in Manila.

Daza recounted he went home to Catarman town in Northern Samar on Aug. 8 to assess the COVID-19 response in the province.

Before he left Manila, he said he underwent a swab test and tested negative for the virus.

"I went around the towns of our district and met with local officials, community leaders and common people, especially the most vulnerable. I also inspected the projects that I had sponsored and the sites for the future ones," Daza recalled.

After starting to feel sick on Aug. 16, he said he continued to work from home and took medication. He was taken to a hospital in Manila on Aug. 24 after his condition didn't improve.

"Following DOH guidelines, those who had been with me anytime in the few days before Aug. 16 and up to the 24th should get in touch immediately with our local health authorities," Daza said.

"I have also instructed my staff in Congress and Daganas field office to immediately initiate a thorough contact tracing in coordination with local officials and health authorities."

Apart from Daza, the House of Representatives has so far recorded 52 cases of COVID-19.

Nationwide, there are already 202,361 confirmed coronavirus infections, as of Wednesday, of which, 65,764 are active cases.

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