All the specimens gathered from the PUIs will be sent to Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory in Melbourne, Australia after the RITM for novel coronavirus confirmation since the Philippines has no testing facility yet to identify if the coronavirus is of the new strain or not.
On January 29, DOH revealed that one person in Davao Region, who has been to Wuhan, China, is now under investigation.
DOH-Davao Regional Director Annabelle Yumang said the patient was rushed to one of the hospitals in the region. DOH-Davao also said, as of January 30, there are eight other patients who are under monitoring. She did not divulge the identity or the nationality of the patient for privacy.
Dr. Yumang said that a person will be classified as Patient Under Investigation (PUI) if he/she has a travel history to Hubei Province in China, has lower respiratory illness such as cough and fever, and has exposure to a person who has been infected with nCoV. Those who do not meet these criteria will fall under the Person Under Monitoring (PUM) category.
DOH said that coronaviruses are a large family of viruses ranging from the common cold to more serious infections such as MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. Common signs of coronavirus infection include respiratory illness such as cough, fever, shortness of breath and/or breathing difficulties. In severe cases, it can cause pneumonia, acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death.
The single PUI has been discharged after citing no more symptoms but DOH is closely monitoring the patient while waiting for the test results. Since the PUI is already asymptomatic, that person is not likely to infect, even if the result comes out positive.
Yumang urged those who have been to Wuhan China to consult doctors and seek consultation if they have symptoms of a coronavirus.
