By ANALOU DE VERA
The Department of Health yesterday announced two new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country involving a 62-year-old man and a 48-year-old lawyer.
The case of the 62-year-old man is the first local case of COVID-19, the DoH said. He had no travel history to countries with recorded cases of the disease.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said these two new cases bring the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country to five.
Duque said that the 62-year-old man is known to have regularly visited a Muslim prayer hall in Barangay Greenhills in San Juan City. The patient, who has hypertension and diabetes mellitus, experienced cough with phlegm last Feb. 25.
“The patient sought medical consultation in a hospital in Metro Manila last March 1 and was admitted with severe pneumonia. Specimen collected on March 4 tested positive for COVID-19 on March 5,” he said, adding that the man is admitted at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City.
“Previous visitors to the prayer hall who are presenting with fever and or respiratory symptoms are encouraged to call the DoH hotline (02)8-651-7800 local 1149 to 1150 for proper referral to the appropriate health facility,” he added.
Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that a relative of the patient who had close contact with him has also manifested symptoms of COVID-19.
“We already have one relative, which has been with the patient all throughout, who has experienced symptoms, and is now with him in our referral hospital. The specimen was collected and we’re just awaiting results,” said Vergeire.
‘NO LOCAL
TRANSMISSION’
The Health chief noted that there is still no local transmission of COVID-19 in the Philippines yet.
“There is no transmission to speak of as of yet because we only have one.
That’s why we are doing contact tracing so as to establish whether or not there are now cases or clustering of cases. But now, it’s premature to say there is local transmission,” said Duque.
“We don’t know the point of contact, whether it was from a foreigner, a local contact, or other contaminated source. We also don’t know whether that patient has transmitted the infection to other people. At this point, we are not sure whether we are looking at an isolated case or a cluster of cases. But a cluster of cases doesn’t mean that you are having widespread local transmission,” said World Health Organization Country Representative Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe.
The other new COVID-19 case in the country involved a 48-year-old Filipino lawyer who has a history of travel to Japan and returned to the country last Feb. 25. He experienced chills and fever that started March 3.
“The patient sought medical consultation in a hospital and samples were collected for testing. Results tested positive for COVID-19 on March 5. He is currently stable and admitted at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine,” said Duque.
Duque said that they are now conducting contact tracing for the two new cases.
“The priority intervention is the contact tracing. We will have to wait for the results of the contact tracing and coordination with local government units,” he said.
There have been three confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country involving tourists from China who arrived last January. Two of them recovered and one died.
‘NO CAUSE
FOR ALARM’
There is no cause for alarm as the government is prepared to deal with the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country, Malacañang told the public Friday.
After two more coronavirus cases have been reported in the country, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the government has readied health protocols to contain the spread of the virus in the country.
“There will be measures, which are already established protocols. In other words, there is no need for alarm or worry because we are ready. From the very start, we already said that,” he said in an interview with reporters at the Palace.
Panelo likewise guaranteed that the government has been transparent in giving updates about the coronavirus situation in the country. He made the comment after Taiwan and Australia first reported about their virus-hit nationals after traveling from the Philippines.
“We should all be transparent because it affects all of us,” he said.
“We can’t please all people all the time but the government is doing its job,” he added.
According to Panelo, the Palace trusts the competence of Health Secretary Francisco Duque in dealing with the latest health situation. He noted that Duque, who served as Health Secretary during the Arroyo administration, is a “very efficient” public servant.
Panelo also said health authorities have managed to keep the virus at bay for a long time while other nations were grappling with the rise of cases of the coronavirus. (with a report from Genalyn Kabiling)
