MANILA – The Philippines has recorded its first death from the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). It is also the first death due to the virus outside China.
The fatality, a 44-year-old Chinese male, was the second 2019-nCoV case in the country. He was a companion of the country’s first case, a Chinese woman tourist from Wuhan City, China, according to Secretary Francisco Duque of the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday.
The man died on Saturday at the San Lazaro Hospital in Metro Manila.
Over the course of the male patient’s admission, he developed severe pneumonia due to viral and bacterial infections (S. pneumoniae and Influenza B), according to Duque.
In his last few days, the patient was stable and showed signs of improvement. However, his condition deteriorated within his last 24 hours, resulting in his demise.
The Chinese man and woman arrived in the Philippines via Hong Kong on Jan. 21. The woman was hospitalized for pneumonia on Jan. 25 after experiencing fever, cough and sore throat.
“I would like to emphasize that this is an imported case with no evidence of local transmission,” Duque stressed in a press conference.
The man is thought to have had other pre-existing health conditions.
“We are currently working with the Chinese Embassy to ensure the dignified management of the remains according to national and international standards to contain the disease,” he added.
Duque also said San Lazaro Hospital observed rigorous infection control protocols while caring for the two Chinese patients.
“Both patients were isolated following strict isolation standards, and all health personnel who came in contact with them practiced stringent infection control measures and wore appropriate personal protective equipment,” said Duque.
The Health secretary also said 24 patients under investigation (PUIs) for the 2019-nCoV tested negative, based on the samples analyzed by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
“DOH is assuring the public that all measures needed to contain the spread of the virus is being strictly implemented and followed,” Duque said.
The new developments, he said, 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,” said Duque.
Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the World Health Organization representative to the Philippines, urged people to remain calm: “This is the first reported death outside China. However, we need to take into mind that this is not a locally acquired case. This patient came from the epicenter (Wuhan City) of this outbreak.”
In China, more than 300 people have died in the virus outbreak so far, the vast majority from Hubei province where Wuhan City is located. More than 14,000 people have been infected./PN
