A 29-year-old Chinese man who was among those being monitored for the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) died of complications due to pneumonia at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Department of Health confirmed.
“We have person under investigation. He died, but he is not confirmed for nCoV. He was admitted last Monday,” San Lazaro Hospital Director Edmundo Lopez said in a news briefing in Quezon City.
Lopez pointed out that the cause of death of the man from Yunna, China, was pneumonia. He said the patient was admitted to San Lazaro Hospital in Manila on Monday, Jan. 27.
President Rodrigo Duterte said the Philippines is bracing for the worst as nCoV continues to spread.
“We are preparing all ports of entry. We are just preparing maybe for the worst,” the President said.
Upon admission, Lopez said the patient was seen with various symptoms, including cervical lesions.
Lopez said the patient tested positive twice for HIV during the initial and confirmatory tests.
Lopez said the samples taken from the Chinese man were already sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa for an initial test for suspected novel coronavirus infection.
“Specimens have been taken. There are still tests in RITM for detection of coronavirus,” he said.
Meanwhile, DOH Epidemiology Bureau chief Chito Avelino said 16 samples were sent to the RITM and six were sent to the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Australia for testing. He said it expected results by Thursday, Jan. 30, or Friday, Jan. 31.
By then, he said the RITM will be able to run tests confirming 2019-nCoV as they have acquired the necessary test kit for the process.
Four of the 27 patients under investigation were discharged and were no longer showing symptoms, but were still being closely monitored, the DOH added.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III renewed his call to the public to practice proper hygiene and coughing etiquette.
READ: Public warned: No cure for n-CoV; only hygiene
He also reassured the public that DOH hospitals, with their respective isolation areas, were ready to respond to the disease, should it reach the Philippines.
He said the Philippines is still monitoring 23 suspected cases as four have already tested negative and have been discharged from the hospital.
He said the Philippines remains free of the virus.
READ: WHO says no global crisis yet; Duque piqued
Health authorities are monitoring 17 cases in National Capital Region, one in Western Visayas, one in Mimaropa, one in Eastern Visayas, two in Central Visayas and one in Davao Region.
READ: DOH keeps an eye on 24 patients for nCoV signs
Most of those being monitored had traveled to Wuhan, China and are mostly foreigners.
Expressing impatience at having to wait long for test results to come back from Australia, Duque said the Philippines will be able to screen potential cases of novel coronavirus with the help of Japan.
Japan will give the Philippines a “primer” that can determine whether the coronavirus that infected a patient has the same genetic code as the strain from China, eliminating the need to consult Australian experts, he said.
“It takes times if we send results to Australia. I said no, we need to have our own capacity to check cases. The Japanese will help us get the virus primer,” Duque said in an interview on radio dzMM.
He said the RITM in Muntinlupa City can only check for the presence of coronavirus but cannot specify if it is the same strain as the Wuhan virus.
Earlier, Duterte had ordered Duque to evaluate and implement measures to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus in the country.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the increasing number of “persons under investigation” in the country who are suspected to be infected of nCoV is a serious concern for the Palace.
The Palace official also recognized the danger of repatriating 50 Filipinos in Wuhan, although some government officials have expressed readiness to take them home.
The Bureau of Customs assured the public on Wednesday that it has been keeping an eye on items shipped from countries with confirmed nCoV cases.
Customs Assistant Commissioner Vince Maronilla said the agency has been on “full alert” and working with the Department of Health and Department of Agriculture in monitoring items arriving in the country amid fears of virus spread.
“The intelligence and enforcement groups of the Bureau of Customs are now on full alert as per order of the commissioner guarding against all items, not just food items…that might be a carrier or a source of these diseases,” Maronilla told reporters in Malacañang.
He also disclosed that the bureau has intercepted some exotic animals passing through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Health authorities have linked exotic animals sold at a seafood market in Wuhan City, China as the source of the new coronavirus.
Before Congress, Duque cautioned lawmakers against “political and diplomatic” repercussions should they seek to bar Chinese from entering the country.
Duque made the statement during the Question Hour as Deputy Speaker and Antique Rep. Loren Legarda asked about the possibility of banning Chinese tourists.
“We have to be very careful of the possible repercussions of doing this.,” Duque said.
“The confirmed cases are not limited to China. “If we do this, concerned countries, China in this case, might question why we’re not doing this to other countries,” Duque said.
Duque appeared before the plenary during Question Hour to brief lawmakers on measures being taken by the government to handle the global threat.
“It’s very tricky and difficult issue,” Duque told legislators, even as he said he would to consider Legarda’s proposal.
Legarda said the temporary ban on Chinese tourists might be necessary because the government “is clearly incapable of handling a crisis.”
Gabriela Women’s Party also raised concerns over the Health department’s capability to screen potential coronavirus carriers, as the DOH’s budget for disease surveillance for 2020 has been slashed by over 50 percent.
Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas said the allocation for epidemiology and disease surveillance program in the 2020 General Appropriations Act stands at a measly P115.5 million, down from P263 million from last year or a 56 percent cut.
“We are worried that this hefty budget cut will constrain the Health department’s capability to track and effectively repel the coronavirus outbreak, especially with the influx of tourists in various entry points in the country,” said Brosas.
“The health and lives of millions of Filipino people are at stake here. Congress should be ready to approve a supplemental budget to the DOH if necessary,” she added.
Also on Wednesday, the University of Santo Tomas Hospital denied claims that a patient who contracted the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was admitted in their hospital.
“We would like to inform the public that there is no truth to the circulating news in social media and text messages of a novel Coronavirus patient in University of Santo Tomas Hospital,” said the message of UST posted in Facebook.
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