The Philippines Confirms 1st Novel Coronavirus Fatality

The Philippines Department of Health (DOH) and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) announced that a 44-year-old male died from the 2019-nCoV on February 1, 2020.

The DOH press release said ‘over the course of the patient’s admission, he developed severe pneumonia due to viral and bacterial infections (S. pneumoniae and Influenza B).’

‘In his last few days, the patient was stable and showed signs of improvement, however, the condition of the patient deteriorated within his last 24 hours resulting in his demise.’

“I would like to emphasize that this is an imported case with no evidence of local transmission,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said in a related press release.

The DOH is assuring the public that all measures needed to contain the spread of the 2019-nCoV are being strictly implemented and followed.

The San Lazaro Hospital has implemented rigorous infection control protocols while caring for these patients.

The Epidemiology Bureau (EB) of the DOH is currently conducting contact tracing of passengers aboard the flights of the 2 positive cases. Contact tracing activities are ongoing in Cebu and Dumaguete, and in other places where the patients stayed and traveled to.

“The Philippine Government has already implemented a temporary travel ban for travelers coming from China, Macao, and Hong Kong,” Duque assured.

As of February 1, 2020, the DOH has reported five (5) additional patients under investigation (PUIs), bringing the total recorded number of PUIs to thirty-six (36). Twenty-three (23) PUIs are currently admitted and isolated, while ten (10) have been discharged under strict monitoring.

"The new developments warrant a more diligent approach in containing the threats of the 2019-nCoV. The Department of Health is continuously improving and scaling up its public health measures and reminds the public to remain calm and vigilant," Secretary Duque concluded.

Coronavirus news is published by Coronavirus Today.