MANILA, Philippines – Mayor Joy Belmonte has confirmed the fifth case of COVID-19 in Quezon City, a 26-year-old male with no history of travel abroad.

In an interview on DZMM on Thursday morning, March 12, Belmonte said that the male patient was brought by a Department of Health (DOH)  team to the hospital that morning.

When asked, the mayor said she was not sure if the patient, a resident of Barangay Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, was already part of the DOH tally released on Wednesday, March 11, which stood at 49.  (LIST: Confirmed coronavirus cases in the Philippines as of March 11)

Belmonte said the patient was initially diagnosed as having dengue, and was only confirmed to be a COVID-19 case on Thursday.

She said the patient went to two private hospitals. The second private hospital confirmed that he was carrying the virus, but reportedly told him to go home because they could not accommodate him.

“Nagpunta po siya sa dalawang private hospitals na po. At sa second private hospital lang po siya nasabihan na ito po ay nCoV or COVID-19, tapos wala na pong lugar kaya pinauwi pa. Medyo nakakatakot din kasi alam na pala pero pinauwi pa. Tapos kanina sinundo ng DOH,” she said.

(Hewent to two private hospitals. It was only at the second private hospital where he was told that he had nCoV or COVID-19, but it had no more space, so we even sent home. It’s rather alarming because they already knew but he was still send home. The DOH fetched him this morning.)

The DOH already transported the patient to a hospital as of Thursday morning, said Belmonte. She did not disclose the hospital where the patient was confined.

She said the patient was “doing okay” and that a city government team would test his family, and interview the members.

Belmonte said that according to the patient’s mother, they did not know how the patient got the virus.

“Hindi pa po nila kung sino ang nakasalamuha niya, at papaano nakuha [ang sakit] (They don’t know  yet who he came into contact with, and how he got [the disease],” she said.

The World Health Organization on Wednesday called the new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. – Rappler.com