PH coronavirus watch: Suspected cases per region, as of February 24, 2020

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is still monitoring people with symptoms of respiratory illness, in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

As of Monday, February 24, the Department of Health said it has probed 609 patients. Out of this number:

• 126 – admitted to hospitals
• 480 – discharged from hospitals
• 3 – confirmed cases

Of the 3 confirmed cases in the Philippines, one died due to severe pneumonia because of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus, while the other two recovered. All 3 are Chinese.

There is still no recorded case of local transmission in the country.

Below is the latest breakdown of patients under investigation per region. All numbers are from the DOH’s nCoV tracker.

There are at least 63 Filipinos confirmed to have the virus. All are based outside the Philippines, including two in the United Arab Emirates, one in Hong Kong, one in Singapore, and 59 who were aboard a cruise ship quarantined in Japan.

The World Health Organization earlier declared the outbreak an international emergency, warning that the novel coronavirus poses a “very grave threat.”

So far, the virus has killed over 2,600 and infected at least 77,000 people in China. Cases have been recorded in more than two dozen countries. – Rappler.com