BACOLOD City – The City Health Office here urged the public to disclose travel information and report to health authorities if they have signs and symptoms associated with the novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV).
Dr. Grace Tan, spokesperson of the city’s inter-agency task force against the virus, made this call after the number of patients under investigation (PUIs) for suspected 2019-nCoV infection has increased to three.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, who also chairs the task force, said the three patients include 43-year-old Canadian national; a 12-year-old Filipino boy who traveled previously from Macau and Hong Kong; and a 58-year-old Filipina overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who also recently arrived from Hong Kong.
The three are on quarantine at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH).
Information also obtained by members of the media report that the Canadian national first sought treatment at a private hospital in this city, but was later referred to the CLMMRH.
Familiaran, meanwhile, said he is hoping the number of PUIs for nCoV will no longer climb.
The vice mayor urged the public not to panic, and advised OFWs who have recently arrived home to coordinate with their local barangay.
Familiaran also confirmed that samples from all three patients have been taken and they are waiting for the results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, which should be released anytime this week./PN
