The Department of Health said Thursday that the first confirmed novel coronavirus patient in the country is currently confined in Manila.
However, health officials refused to name the institution where the woman from Wuhan is confined.
The confirmed case arrived in the Philippines via Hong Kong last January 21, 2020.
She was admitted in one of the country’s government hospitals last January 25 after experiencing mild cough.
The 38-year-old female Chinese tested positive based from the laboratory results that arrived today from the Victorian Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory in Melbourne, Australia.
She is currently asymptomatic.
The health department assured the public that “all necessary precautionary measures are being taken”.
“The DOH, however, continues to guarantee the public that all necessary precautionary measures are being taken to halt the spread of the virus,” the department said in a statement.
“I assure the public that the Department of Health is on top of this evolving situation. We were able to detect the first confirmed case because of our strong surveillance system, close coordination with World Health Organization and other national agencies, and the utilization of DOH’s decision tool,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said.
“We are working closely with the hospital where the patient is admitted and have activated the Incident Command System of the said hospital for appropriate management, specifically on infection control, case management, and containment. We are also implementing measures to protect the health staff providing care to these patients,” he added.
