Military ready to help DOH prevent spread of novel coronavirus

February 4, 2020

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Armed Forces of the Philippines is always ready to assist the Department of Health (DOH) on its effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.

“We are ready all the time to assist if requested by DOH because it is not our expertise. We cannot just barge in,” Lorenzana told Daily Manila Shimbun in a message on Tuesday.

Last Sunday, the DOH have confirmed two positive cases of the novel coronavirus in the country of which one died at the San Lazaro hospital in Manila on Saturday.

The death of a 44 year-old male Chinese national in the Philippines is the first fatality of the novel coronavirus patient reported outside China.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the first batch of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) from China  will be repatriated this week. Robina Asido/DMS