"DON’T panic. Be vigilant."
This was the advice of Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson to the public amid fears of the deadly coronavirus.
"If you have flu- like symptoms go to the nearest health facility. Let them know where you were the last two weeks and who were with you," the governor said.
Lacson said it is not present in the province right now and there is no cause to worry.
“Stay healthy too,” he said.
He also stated that people must be aware about it before it hits.
Earlier, Lacson ordered all 11 district hospitals and the Teresita Jalandoni Memorial Provincial Hospital to be on alert for the entry of the dreaded virus.
Lacson said that he has not yet received any report of cases or any suspected patient of coronavirus from the provincial health office.
Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, provincial health officer, said he has also notified the district hospitals to be aware of what is happening.
In case there will be a case of coronavirus, Lacson said an advisory will be sent to the hospitals when a patient would be referred for isolation at the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Hospital.
Patients having symptoms of Novel coronavirus will be closely monitored especially if he or she has been to Wuhan, China where the said virus originated.
Lacson said the PHO already has a system on how to deal with possible cases of coronavirus.
The governor encouraged patients with persisting symptoms of the virus to immediately consult and visit their respective rural health clinics so that proper care would be applied by health authorities.
At least 17 people have died from a new coronavirus in China following an outbreak in the central city of Wuhan, and more than 550 cases have been reported globally.
A report by the World Health Organization said the coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
These viruses are transmitted between animals and people. SARS, for instance, was believed to have been transmitted from civet cats to humans while MERS travelled from a type of camel to humans.
Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.
A novel coronavirus, identified by Chinese authorities on January 7 and currently named 2019-nCoV, is a new strain that had not been previously identified in humans.