There are currently three persons under investigation (PUIs) for possible 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection in Western Visayas, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
The three PUIs are Chinese nationals who traveled to Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan this month.
The provincial hospital of Aklan said the three have been discharged already from Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital in Kalibo but are still under strict monitoring.
The three, which include a 32-year-old female, a 24-year-old female, and a 6-year-old male kid, experienced common symptoms of the infection.
On Wednesday, Jan. 29, the DOH-6 confirmed that a feverish three-year-old Chinese child was admitted to the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Iloilo City.
Dr. Mary Jane Juanico of the DOH-6 said samples from the child were already sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Manila.
The child, who is being confined in the hospital, has not yet been considered a PUI by the DOH.
A report by radio station RMN-Iloilo said the child was brought by his/her American father and Chinese mother to Qualimed Hospital and later on referred to WVMC.
The three who stayed at Richmonde Hotel and also traveled to Guimaras Island are residents of Guangdong, China.
The deadly virus was traced by health officials to a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
A total of 29 PUIs have been recorded so far across the country.
Yesterday, Jan. 30, the DOH confirmed the first case of nCoV in the Philippines.
DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III, in a press conference, said a 38-year-old woman from Wuhan, China tested positive for nCoV.
The infected person, who is currently admitted at a hospital in Manila, arrived in the Philippines via Hong Kong last January 21.
The patient was known to have also traveled to the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete.
“She is currently asymptomatic…which means she has no fever, and no other signs and symptoms suggesting illness at this point,” Duque said.
On Friday, Jan. 31, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the imposition of a temporary ban on all travelers from nCoV-affected areas in China. IMT
