BACOLOD City – Health authorities here are on heightened alert in a bid to abate the risk of spreading the virus that has been traced to have originated from China.
According to Mayor Evelio Leonardia, he ordered the City Health Office CHO to closely monitor and intensify their surveillance to avoid the entry of coronavirus into the city. The new strain of pneumonia-causing virus has been reported in neighboring countries like South Korean, Japan and Thailand.
Leonardia said the issue has become a worldwide concern as the number of cases in China is currently increasing, pointing out because of the upcoming Chinese New Year, millions of people are at risk if not properly checked.
Earlier on Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III revealed that a five-year-old child who arrived in Cebu from Wuhan, China had tested positive for coronavirus.
The child was now confined at a hospital in Cebu City and has been placed in close surveillance, while the samples were sent to Australia for further confirmation and analysis.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, according to the World Health Organization./PN
