Health officials said yesterday that a Chinese who was being monitored for possible 2019 novel coronavirus infection died due to pneumonia at the San Lazaro Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
San Lazaro Hospital Director Dr. Edmundo Lopez said that the 29-year-old man from Yunnan, China, who was admitted to their medical facility last Monday, is not yet confirmed to have contracted coronavirus.
“The patient was seen with varying symptoms upon admission,” said Lopez.
The San Lazaro Hospital official said that the man was also found positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
“Meron siyang mga cervical lesions, mga kulani, meron siyang lung findings na rin, basically payat ‘yung pasyente, and tinest siya for HIV. Screening test positive,” said Lopez.
Health Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo said that even though the patient had died, they will still conduct a test to confirm if he is afflicted with the coronavirus.
“Itetest pa rin natin. So far, all the test show another disease process. Kaya lang since meron siyang travel from China and nagkaroon siya ng signs of fever, itetest pa rin natin just to make sure,” said Domingo.
Meanwhile, 11 Chinese tourists who recently visited Boracay are still under quarantine for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus.
Dr. Cornelio Cuachon Jr., chief of the Aklan Provincial Health Office, said that four of them may possibly be exposed to nCoV when they went to Hong Kong – where there are several positive nCoV cases – before flying into Manila late last week and proceeding to Kalibo, the provincial capital of Aklan.
The seven other Chinese are from Hubei, the Chinese province where Wuhan is located and considered as nCoV’s epicenter. (Analou de Vera and Tara Yap)