By ANALOU DE VERA
A 60-year-old woman from Wuhan, China, who became the third confirmed case of 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019 nCoV-ARD) in the country, was discharged from a hospital in Bohol after recovering from infection, the Department of Health (DoH) announced Wednesday.
“The patient arrived in Cebu City from Wuhan, China via Hong Kong last January 20, 2020, and traveled to Bohol thereafter. On January 22, the patient consulted a private hospital in Bohol after experiencing fever and coryza,” said Health Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo in a press briefing at the DoH Central Office in Manila.
Domingo said that the Chinese woman had no fever when she passed through the thermal scanners upon her arrival in Cebu City last January 20.
He noted that the samples taken from the patient last January 24 tested negative for the novel coronavirus. The test was performed by both the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Melbourne, Australia and the Philippines’ Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City.
“Results from said tests came back negative last January 29 and 30, and upon recovery of the patient, she was discharged and was allowed to return to China via Cebu last January 31,” said Domingo.
The Health undersecretary, however, noted that the RITM last Monday notified them that an earlier sample from the patient – dated January 23 – tested positive for coronavirus, “making her the third confirmed 2019-nCoV ARD in the Philippines.”
“They (RITM) decided to also run all of the old samples that they had. One of her samples was from January 23, an earlier sample. So apparently, ito ‘yung naging positive,” said Domingo.
“The picture is the patient was infected but was getting better and nag-negative na siya on the 24th and a week later siya na-discharged – negative,” he said.
“Their clinical explanation is that the patient was probably towards the end of the illness at that time kaya positive pa siya, pero ‘yung subsequent (test) was (already) negative na – both at RITM and in Australia. So validated twice ‘yung kanyang negative result,” Domingo added.
Domingo noted that earlier samples of Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) were already tested by the RITM and found negative for novel coronavirus. The Health official, however, was unable to disclose the number of earlier samples tested by the RITM.
“We have tested all of them, and all of them have tested negative except for this one (third confirmed case),” he said.
CONTACT TRACING
Meanwhile, Domingo said that they are now conducting contact tracing to identify the individuals who had contact with the Chinese woman.
“The Epidemiology Bureau has initiated contact tracing of persons who interacted with or were in close proximity to the patient,” said Domingo.
“The Bureau of Quarantine and EB are coordinating with the concerned airline while the Central Visayas Center for Health Development is in coordination with the hotel where the patient stayed and the hospital where she was admitted,” he added.
FIRST CASE STILL POSITIVE
Domingo said that the country’s first confirmed case, the 38-year-old Chinese woman, remains confined at the San Lazaro Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
“’Yung first case natin wala na talaga siyang sakit for the past week. No fever, no cough, no colds. However, the latest test that was done during the last 48 hours was still positive (for 2019 nCoV ARD),” said the Health official.
Domingo said that they have located 203 individuals who had close contact with the first and second confirmed cases of novel coronavirus. Of them, 188 individuals were advised to undergo home quarantine.
He also noted that of the 203 contacts, “15 are symptomatic where 14 were already isolated for monitoring.”
“DoH urges the passengers from Cebu Pacific Flight 5J241 from Hong Kong to Cebu on January 20 and 21, 2020; Cebu Pacific Flight DG6519 from Cebu to Dumaguete on January 21, 2020; and Philippine Airlines Flight PR2542 from Dumaguete to Manila on January 25, 2020 to cooperate with DoH representatives who will be getting in touch with them for assessment,” he said.
The Health official assured that they are currently working with other concerned agencies to expedite the contact tracing process.
PUIS: 133
Domingo said that the number of PUIs across the country for the novel coronavirus has reached 133.
“Of the 133 PUIs, 115 are currently admitted and isolated, while 16 have been discharged under strict monitoring. Among the PUIs, 63 are Filipinos, 54 are Chinese, and 16 from other nationalities. Thirty-two of which were reported to have traveled to Wuhan, China,” said Domingo.
The Health undersecretary reminded the public to practice proper hand hygiene and cough etiquette as it is still “the best way to protect oneself from this virus.”
“I am calling all Filipinos to cooperate. In such trying times, we should not let our fears overwhelm us and cause us to over react. We need to work together,” he said.
