10 symptomatic repatriates from virus-hit cruise ship test negative
MANILA, Philippines — Ten repatriates from the MV Diamond Princess cruise ship who showed signs and symptoms of respiratory illness tested negative for the potentially deadly coronavirus disease, the Health department said Monday.
Fourteen of the 458 repatriates quarantined at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac were brought to an unidentified referral facility after they exhibited symptoms such as sore throat, cough and fever.
The typical signs and symptoms of COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization, include fever, dry cough, fatigue, sore throat, headache, chills, nausea or vomiting, nasal congestion and diarrhea.
"Ten of them have tested negative and we are still waiting for four laboratory results to be issued within the day," Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a Palace press briefing Monday.
All of the symptomatic repatriates are still at the referral facility, Vergeire added.
MV Diamond Princess was one of the largest coronavirus hotspots outside China, prompting criticisms on how Japanese authorities handled the outbreak. The ship carried around 3,700 passengers and crew members when it reached the port of Yokohama in Japan.
At least six people who were hospitalized after disembarking the ship have died, Japan’s health ministry said.
86 OFWs infected
Eighty-six Filipinos based outside the Philippines have been infected with the new coronavirus.
Japan recorded the most number of infected Filipinos with 80 cases. Of the figure, 48 remain admitted in hospitals, while 32 have already been discharged.
Vergeire said the government has repatriated 10 crew members of the Diamond Princess who initially tested positive and later discharged after recovery.
Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates have two cases each.
The Philippines has three confirmed case of COVID-19—including the first fatality outside mainland China. The country’s first coronavirus patient and the third confirmed case have recovered.
The virus has spread to over 60 countries and infected more than 88,000 people after first emerging in China late last year. The global death toll from the epidemic surpassed 3,000 Monday.
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