Suspected nCoV cases rise to 178

MANILA, Philippines — The number of persons under investigation (PUIs) for the 2019-novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019 nCoV ARD) continues to soar, but it is expected to drop dramatically within the next two months, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

At a press conference yesterday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III reported that the total number of PUIs nationwide had reached 178 as of yesterday.

“Of the total 178 PUIs, 147 are admitted in hospitals, 10 have refused admission and 16 have already been discharged under strict monitoring,” Duque said.

The health chief further noted that of the total number of PUIs, 84 have tested negative for the virus while laboratory test on samples taken from 127 PUIs are still pending.

He said the DOH is now coordinating with the Philippine National Police (PNP) in requiring asymptomatic PUIs to be admitted in health facilities.

“We are working with the PNP to compel these PUIs refusing admission to agree to undergo isolation and testing,” he added.

Duque stressed that identifying all the PUIs tested and confined is necessary to stop the threat of the potentially deadly virus.

Meanwhile, DOH officials are discussing with public cemeteries the possibility of burying the remains of the Chinese national who died due to the nCoV.

Private crematories have refused to cremate the victim.

“I have instructed the San Lazaro Hospital to coordinate with public cemeteries if they can just bury the corpse, because based on information, they don’t have cremation there,” Duque said.

The government, he added, also needs to coordinate with the Chinese government since the initial agreement was for the remains to be cremated.

Decline in 1-2 months

Despite the increase, the number of PUIs for possible infection of the deadly virus is expected to drop in one to two months, according to the DOH.

“We see a drop in cases in one to two months since we have already stopped the entry of travelers from China,” Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said yesterday.

“Since there are no more travelers coming from China, we will just be monitoring those who are already here and the number of the PUIs will start to drop,” Domingo added.

The DOH official assured the public that all government and private hospitals with isolation rooms nationwide are ready and capable to admit suspected nCoV patients.

He added that any hospital that would not admit PUIs or confirmed nCoV patients face losing its license to operate.

“It’s part of their licensing requirement, for big hospitals to have isolation rooms and capability to treat infectious illnesses. If they can’t do that, their licenses can be revoked,” Domingo said.

Even the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) can cancel the accreditation of a hospital for refusing to accept patients needing treatment for nCoV.

Domingo also noted that concerned government agencies are continuously tracing people who made contact with the three confirmed cases of nCoV infection in the country.

The government, he said, is also undertaking the necessary preparations for the repatriation of Filipinos from China.

He added that repatriates would be tested before boarding the plane from their origin and upon arrival in the country.

Meanwhile, the second Filipina household service worker (HSW) in Hong Kong quarantined following exposure to her nCoV-positive employer is healthy and asymptomatic, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The Philippine consulate general in Hong Kong verified with local health authorities that the Filipina was quarantined.

“The consulate general reported that, just like the first case, the Filipina is healthy and asymptomatic but needs to undergo 14-day quarantine based on Hong Kong’s protocol,” the DFA said.

Consul General Ray Tejada confirmed that the Filipina is the employee of a 39-year-old man, the first nCoV casualty in Hong Kong, who died of heart failure last Tuesday, according to reports.

The DFA assured the public that the government has a vigilant and tested plan to ensure the health and welfare of Filipinos domestically and overseas amid concerns brought about by the nCoV outbreak. – With Pia Lee-Brago, Janvic Mateo

The DFA continues to work closely with relevant government agencies to extend immediate assistance to Filipinos quarantined abroad.

“We urge our countrymen in affected areas worldwide to abide by the guidelines of host countries and take the necessary personal precautions to ensure their health and safety,” the DFA said.

Schools’ alert system

An alert system first operationalized during the threat of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 will be activated in public schools nationwide as a precautionary measure against the nCoV.

In a memorandum issued on Tuesday night, Education Secretary Leonor Briones directed school heads to operationalize the Preventive Alert System in Schools (PASS), which aims to monitor the health of students, teachers and other personnel.

It seeks to establish a systematic relay of information on the state of health of a child or teacher to appropriate personnel or agencies in the locality.

Former education secretary Edilberto de Jesus first operationalized PASS during the SARS outbreak in 2003.

Under the system, students will be tapped to observe the wellbeing of their classmates and request them to report possible illnesses to teachers for validation.

Teachers will also conduct early morning health inspections to detect the presence of fever and other signs and symptoms of infection.

“The teacher shall keenly observe the health status of each learner in the classroom. If the teacher finds out that a learner is sick, this case will be reported immediately to the school head,” the guidelines of the Department of Education (DepEd) read.