Third case of nCoV confirmed in PH, as suspected carriers jump to 133
Credit to Author: John Eric Mendoza| Date: Wed, 05 Feb 2020 07:30:54 +0000
A THIRD case of the Novel CoronaVirus Acute Respiratory Disease (2019-nCoV ARD) has been recorded in the country, as the number of patients suspected to have been infected with the disease increased to 133 from about 80, the Department of Health (DoH) said on Wednesday.
Health Undersecretary Orlando Domingo told a press briefing in Manila that a 60-year-old Chinese female tested positive for the nCoV-ARD but she “was getting better, and a week later she was discharged”.
The woman then returned to China on January 31 after she tested negative at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Australia and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in the Philippines.
However, on February 3, RITM notified DoH that the sample taken earlier of the patient tested positive.
“We were still sending results to Australia, so they weren’t getting the more clinically relevant sample. So in this case, they (RITM) tested a later sample of the patient,” said Domingo.
The elderly woman arrived in Cebu City from Wuhan, China via Hong Kong last January 20, then went to Bohol thereafter, making her the first confirmed case for Central Visayas.
Wuhan is the center of the nCoV outbreak.
Two days later, the Chinese tourist consulted a private hospital in Bohol after experiencing fever and inflammation of the mucus membrane in the nose known as coryza.
The DoH reported that there was now a total of 133 persons under investigation (PUI) for the respiratory disease as of 12 noon on Wednesday.
Of the 133 PUIs, 115 are currently admitted and isolated, while 16 have been discharged under strict monitoring.
The health department confirmed that out of 133 PUIs, 63 were Filipinos, 54 Chinese, and 16 other foreigners of unidentified nationalities.
Furthermore, the Epidemiology Bureau (EB) of the DoH said it was now in contact with 203 persons who had been in close proximity with the suspected carriers.
The EB reported that 15 were now exhibiting symptoms of the disease, with 14 under strict monitoring and isolation.
Domingo said the other symptomatic patient refused to be admitted, prompting them to coordinate with the police and the local government unit (LGU) to isolate the patient.
The DoH also urged passengers who flew with the patient to please coordinate with its representatives who would get in touch with them. These flights are:
CEBU PACIFIC
5J241 from Hong Kong to Cebu on January 20 and 21
DG6519 from Cebu to Dumaguete on January 21
PHILIPPINE AIRLINES
PR2542 from Dumaguete to Manila on January 25
WITH REPORTS FROM RK PERALTA AND RENZ ANTONI