DOH probes 215 patients for novel coronavirus in PH

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) is now probing 215 persons for the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the Philippines as of Friday noon, February 7.

The latest figure was higher than the 178 reported the previous day, February 6. Of the 215, 185 are admitted to hospitals, 17 have been discharged, while 3 have died, two of whom due to causes other than the novel coronavirus. 

Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said that the latest death of a patient under investigation was confirmed Thursday, February 6.

The patient, a Chinese male whose age was not disclosed, died of “underlying restrictive lung disease.” The DOH had earlier reported the death of a patient under investigation, but for preexisting medical conditions unrelated to the novel coronavirus (READ: TIMELINE: The novel coronavirus epidemic) 

Of the 215 patients, a total of 48 already tested negative for the virus. At least 127 test results are still pending as of this posting.

So far, there are 3 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country.

The first patient already tested negative for the novel coronavirus in the latest round of tests of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, but another test with negative results is needed before she can be discharged from the hospital. Domingo said she is well and no longer showing symptoms. 

The second patient, her partner who traveled with her to the Philippines from Wuhan, China, died of complications due to the novel coronavirus. His death marked the first death due to the virus outside China.

The third patient has since returned to China after a second round of tests showed she was already negative for the novel coronavirus.  

Domingo disclosed that 9 patients under investigation have refused to be admitted to hospitals. He said the DOH is working with local authorities to convince them to get admitted.

According to Domingo, some have refused admission due to anxieties over hospital expenses. He said they can rest assured that expenses for the novel coronavirus treatment will be shouldered by the government. 

The increase in the number of patients under investigation came after the DOH tracked down all 441 contacts of the first two confirmed cases. The couple, who was traveling from Wuhan, China, went to Cebu and Dumaguete City before seeking medical help in Manila.

Of the 441 contacts, 32 are included in the 215 being probed by the DOH, while 203 are under home quarantine as they showed no symptoms. 

Domingo said 206 of the contacts have yet to be interviewed by the health department’s Epidemiology Bureau due to erroneous contact details. Health officials are coordinating with local authorities in Cebu and Dumaguete City to get in touch with them. 

Below is the breakdown of patients per region:

• Ilocos Region – 3
• Cagayan – 4
• Cordillera Administrative Region – 4
• Central Luzon – 19
• Metro Manila – 78
• Calabarzon – 24
• Mimaropa – 4
• Western Visayas – 22
• Central Visayas – 16
• Eastern Visayas – 12
• Northern Mindanao – 9
• Caraga – 2
• Davao Region – 18

Repatriation efforts

Repatriation efforts for the 45 Filipinos who had expressed desire to be brought home from Hubei province in China are underway, with the Department of Foreign Affairs personnel coordinating with Chinese authorities for the necessary clearance.

Once in the Philippines, the returnees will be quarantined in the Athletes’ Village in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac. 

They are expected to arrive on Sunday morning, February 9, but the date is not final as the Philippines has yet to get clearance from the Chinese government for repatriation. 

Efforts of the government’s interagency task force on the novel coronavirus have also been met with resistance from the Capas local government, who said they were not consulted by the agencies involved that the quarantine area will be in their community. 

“DOH did not at all involve Capas LGU in its last-minute decision for New Clark City to be used as quarantine zone,” Capas Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan said in a statement Friday.

But in an interview with CNN Philippines, the town’s vice mayor admitted that the New Clark City is under the jurisdiction of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, which offered the facility to the DOH for use in its quarantine procedure. 

Domingo said the DOH has since reached out to the local government of Capas. He said that repatriates will be isolated and not affect any member of the community. 

He reiterated that Filipinos who are cleared by the Chinese government for repatriation will first undergo screening by Chinese health officials before boarding the chartered plane that will take them to Clark. They will then undergo another screening by DOH personnel before takeoff. If they show symptoms in China, they will be sent to Chinese health facilities for treatment. 

The novel coronavirus that originated from Wuhan, China, has so far killed 638 and sickened over 31,000 people across the country and worldwide. The World Health Organization already declared an international emergency over the virus. – Rappler.com