MANILA -- The Department of Health (DOH) said Friday that the Filipina nurse with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome – Coronavirus (Mers-CoV) has already been healed.
In a press briefing, DOH Acting Secretary Janette Garin said the nurse was sent home from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City, where she stayed for a week.
“We have a very good news. Our index case has already been discharged and is now very much healthy,” she said.
She said the patient was tested three times both in swabs and sputum with the results all revealing she no longer has Mers-CoV.
Still, the DOH official said the nurse had been advised to go on a 10-day home quarantine.
“The 10-day observation period is part of the protocol. Just to be sure, we will still observe her for the next 10 days. We advised her to have limited movements lang, especially galing siya sa sakit at buntis din siya,” Garin said.
A few days ago, the DOH reported that the three other individuals that were suspected to have Mers-CoV, including one close contact and two co-passengers, also tested negative of the virus.
“We still have to be vigilant and on guard dahil maraming mga kababayan tayo sa Middle East and Arabian Peninsula,” Garin said.
The DOH earlier advised the public to limit the number of friends and relatives welcoming their loved ones at the airports, especially those coming from countries with Mers-CoV infection, citing lack of adequate screening procedures at the airports that can spot suspected cases. (HDT/Sunnex)