Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that he is currently undergoing home quarantine after one of his department’s officials was tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“I’ll be working from home for now, for 14 days. I will continue to give orders to my entire DoH, which connects to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases,” said Duque in an interview.
Duque said that he is currently asymptomatic although he is experiencing mild cold which may be due to his allergy.
“I don’t actually have colds, maybe just a mild one… probably caused by my allergy,” he said.
The Health chief said that he was already tested for COVID-19 but is still awaiting for the result. “No results yet. Maybe it will come out in a few days,” he said.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire confirmed last Tuesday that a director at the DoH Central office was found positive for COVID-19.
Vergeire then said that the DoH employee is a male individual in his 50s, adding that he is in stable condition.
“Offices within the DoH have been disinfected and close contacts of the official [were] immediately informed and advised to undergo home quarantine,” the Health department said in a statement last Wednesday.
The DoH said it “enjoins everyone to cooperate and practice personal preventive measures to mitigate the spread of the disease. To actively protect your own health is to protect the health of the entire nation,” it added. (Analou de Vera)