The Daily Manila Shimbun

 

WHO asking Filipinos to be rational as local transmission of COVID-19 is reported

March 8, 2020



The World Health Organization (WHO) is asking Filipinos to remain rational in facing the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) following a report of the first local transmission Saturday. 

WHO Representative to the Philippines Rabindra Abeyasinghe said: ''We urge you to still be rational and not demand that every single respiratory tract infection that any body contarcts need to be checked for COVID-19."

"That is not a possibilty for any country," he added. 

On Saturday, the DOH declared there is  local transmission of the COVID-19 in the Philippines after a 62-year-old Filipino with no known history of travel outside of the country tested positive of the viruslast Thursday. 

His 59-year-old wife,  tested positive of COVID-19 on Saturday. 

They became the 5th and 6th COVID-19 cases in the country and the first two Filipinos to be infected. 

This, then, prompted the DOH to raise the COVID-19 Alert System to Code Red Sublevel 1. 

He explained that having respiratory illnesses in a country with local transmission of COVID-19 shouldn't mean established protocols should be disregarded. 

"The mere fact that you have respiratory tract infection does not mean that you need to be tested for COVID-19, unless you have been a close contact with these (positive) cases," said Abeyasinghe. 

This was seconded by the Department of Health (DOH) saying all established protocols on who will be considered as Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) remains. 

Assistant Health Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire only those with history of travel, with symptoms, and have interacted with positive individuals can be considered as PUIs and requires testing. 

"Just because we increased the alert level, it doesn't mean that everyone with coughs, colds, fever, need to get checked in the hospitals," she said. DMS