The Department of Health on Monday advised public to avoid physical contacts as precautionary measures against novel coronavirus.
Physical contacts such as handshaking, fist bump and bussing on the cheeks should be avoided for now as the agency is monitoring 11 suspected cases of nCoV in the country.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque reminded people to cover their mouths when sneezing and coughing and urged sick people to stay at home.
Duque also urged the public to refrain from eating from raw food as research suggests that the deadly virus might originated from bats.
“Never eat raw meat. Maraming puwedeng sakit pong puwedeng ibigay iyan sa atin. Yang mga kilawin, tigil na muna natin ‘yan. Kasi marami ding mikrobyo ang mga ‘yan,” he explained.
The health chief pointed out coronavirus neutralize in high temperature hence he recommended public to cook their food well.
“Make sure that the preparation is adequate. It should not be half-cooked or have meat that is pinkish,” he stressed.
“You just need to cook it well since coronaviruses are sensitive to heat. If you cook it at 53 degrees centigrade, they will be neutralized.”
DOH also stressed the there are no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the Philippines yet.
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