The 44-year-old Chinese who died of the novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD) will no longer infect other individuals, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III assured on Tuesday.
Duque, citing health experts, confirmed before the Senate health committee that the 2019-nCoV ARD acquired by the Chinese male from Wuhan, China, is not anymore contagious.
“The experts behind me are one in saying that they will no longer be infectious once dead,” Duque said when being asked by Senator Nancy Binay on the Department of Health’s (DoH) protocols for the fatalities infected by the 2019-nCoV.
“So pag namatay hindi na rin magiging carrier?” Binay clarified.
“Wala na ho, hindi na ho magiging carrier. Pero nakaselyadong body bag ito so kahit na mayroon pong agam-agam, ‘yon pong measures to ensure that this is sealed and therefore the coronavirus will not be able to get out,” the DoH chief said.
Duque, however, in the hearing said that a funeral parlor already agreed to cremate the Chinese fatality. The cremation was supposedly set today.
“I just have to get the latest update on this, whether in fact, the body of this Chinese national has been cremated,” he said.
Earlier in the hearing, Duque lamented about the flip-flopping of a group “within the Chinese chamber of commerce” about the cremation of their fellow Chinese national.
The group, he said, initially agreed to handle the cremation of the foreigner, but later “backed out.”
“Well, they have their own mindset. That’s the problem with them, sabi ko, ‘Pambihira naman, you are fellow Chinese, dapat pakita ninyo na susuportahan niyo. I don’t know, I didn’t get the full story behind, but it’s very unfortunate to hear stories like this, because it’s at this time, they should start sense of, you know, patriotism for their fellow Chinese national,” a disappointed Duque said.
“It’s difficult to understand,” he said.
The Chinese national, who arrived in the Philippines via Hong Kong last January 21, on Saturday died of severe pneumonia due the 2019-nCov, the DoH reported Sunday. He was the first 2019-nCoV ARD death recorded outside of China. (Vanne Elaine Terrazola)
