Health dept. examining 24 who are showing coronavirus symptoms

January 28, 2020

Twenty-four people are under investigation for having travel history to Wuhan and who are manifesting symptoms of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) .

In a press briefing Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said  24 out of the 27 persons under investigation (PUIs) are awaiting results of laboratory tests. 

"As of today, three of the PUIs have been discharged as their laboratory results revealed other diseases," said Duque. 

From the remaining 24, Duque said said 13 are awaiting results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for screening, six from laboratory results at the Victorian Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory, while five are still in the process of being collected samples for laboratory testing. 

All PUIs are foreigners, most of whom are Chinese, said Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo. 

"There are still no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country," said Duque. 

The rise in the number of PUIs in the country comes just as the 2019-nCoV has spread after the World Health Organization reported there are 4,515 cases worldwide, including 106 deaths. 

The health department convened the Interagency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases in its main office in Manila. 

Included in the task force are the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Local and Interior Government, Justice, Labor and Employment, Tourism, Transportation, and Information and Communications Technology as well as the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Civil Aviation Authority, Civil Aviation Board, Philippine Coast Guard, and the World Health Organization (WHO). 

DFA Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said they are coordinating with their Chinese counterparts regarding possible repatriation of Filipinos in the affected areas. 

"I wish to inform our kababayans that the government will take care of you whether you choose to stay or return home," said Duque. 

"(Despite the lockdown) the treatment for foreigners is different. Anybody who wants to come home can come home. They just have to undergo quarantine procedures for 14 days," said Dulay. 

Duque said they are preparing a facility that will serve as quarantine area for those who choose to be repatriated. 

He said the government is also prepared to shoulder all necessary expenses for those who will be placed under quarantine for 14 days. 

"For those who choose to return, you will be taken care of in a health facility for monitoring and further medical management," said Duque. 

Dulay said they have agreed on proposing temporary restrictions on the issuance of visas for travelers from Hubei Province, while also issuing advisories that will temporarily discourage non-essential travel to China. 

There are an estimated 300 Filipinos in Hubei Province, including 150 from its capital city of Wuhan. 

Duque said the DOH is awaiting for the arrival of testing kits for the 2019-nCoV to find out quickly if one has the virus. 

Domingo said they expect the testing kit to arrive in the country "in the next 48 hours".  DMS