MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health advised the public, especially recovered coronavirus patients, to stay alert and continue practicing necessary precautions to avoid contracting the respiratory illness.
The DOH issued this advisory Tuesday night after researchers in Hong Kong identified what they said was the first confirmed case of COVID-19 reinfection worldwide.
Related Stories
Researchers in Hong Kong University found that a 33-year old man who had contracted and recovered from the disease got infected with coronavirus again.
The DOH said “no evidence-based evaluation” can be done until findings of the study are published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
“Moreover, data on post-infection immunity are also lacking, according to the World Health Organization,” the department said, adding it is closely monitoring the matter and is ready to act on it once reliable information is available.
But the agency urged the public not to let their guard down
“We advise the public to always err on the side of caution. What we do not want to happen is for people who have been infected with COVID-19 in the past to assume they are already immune to the disease,” the DOH said.
“Until we fully understand what we are up against, everyone should always follow the minimum health standards (using face masks, handwashing and physical distancing),” it added.
There have been many cases of suspected reinfection worldwide but none were able to rule out the possibility that the virus has remained latent and reappeared after weeks or months.
The country’s coronavirus caseload reached 197,164 as of Tuesday. Of the figure, 132,396 have recovered, while 3,038 have died. — with report from Agence France-Presse