By ANALOU DE VERA
The Department of Health (DoH) is bracing for the possibility of a local transmission of Covid-19 in the Philippines as other countries already reported community spread of the deadly disease.
Aside from China, Health Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo said that local transmission of the Covid-19 was also reported in Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Germany, France, Vietnam, South Korea, and Australia.
“The WHO (World Health Organization) has signified that we should all get ready. We can already see that local transmission is happening in other countries. These developments are compelling reasons to prepare mitigation mechanisms for the possibility of community spread,” said Domingo in a press briefing at the DoH-Central Office in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
Domingo said that the country still has three confirmed cases of Covid-19 which were considered “imported cases.”
The Health Undersecretary expressed readiness if the local transmission of the disease happens in the country.
“We always have that at the back of our minds that it will happen, that it can happen, that is why we are preparing our hospitals. We are ready in the sense that we have the hospital system, we have isolation rooms,” said Domingo.
“We are continuously assessing the situation and crafting our own guidelines, based on available evidence, to combat the threat of the Covid-19,” he said.
Domingo said that the DoH already recorded 408 Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) for possible infection of Covid-19 since they began their monitoring last January. Out of the total figure, 238 PUIs are currently admitted in various health facilities, while 165 have already been discharged after they tested negative for the disease.
The Health official said that 240 of the PUIs are Filipino, 98 are Chinese, 18 are Americans, while the remaining number of PUIs are of different nationalities.
Meanwhile, there were 42,708 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in China, including 1,017 deaths. On the other hand, a total of 393 cases were recorded in 24 countries.
REPATS AT NEW CLARK CITY
Domingo reported that two repatriates quarantined at the New Clark City in Tarlac – a one-year-old boy and a 34-year-old woman – were brought to Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital in San Fernando City, Pampanga due to diarrhea and abdominal discomfort.
The Health official said that the two repatriates did not exhibit usual symptoms of Covid-19, which are fever, cough, and difficulty in breathing. He noted that diarrhea is one of the “unusual” symptoms of the disease.
“Both tested negative for the Covid-19 and will be sent back to the New Clark City to complete the 14-day quarantine period,” said Domingo.
Domingo said that the health condition of the repatriates are being checked twice a day “to ensure that they are properly being cared for.”
