CEBU CITY, Philippines – Health officials from the Department of Health (DOH) and Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) are now closely coordinating with their counterparts in Central Visayas after the 38-year-old woman from Wuhan City in China now in the Philippines and has traveled to Cebu and Dumaguete cities tested positive for the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
In a press conference headed by DOH on Thursday afternoon, January 30, the Epidemiology Bureau of DOH announced they will commence contact tracing of the patient whom initial information showed has apparently traveled to the two Central Visayan cities.
“We requested for the flight details and carriers and saan pumunta (where she went) after we have gathered info from patients… We also coordinated with Region 7. We are looking at the places they’ve been to in Cebu and Dumaguete,” said Director Chino Avelino of DOH’s Epidemiology Bureau.
“We already asked for the flight details of the Chinese woman who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the places they have been to for contact tracing,” he added.
DOH today confirmed the first case of the 2019-nCoV in the Philippines.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said they are still monitoring 23 patients under investigation (PUIs) who are suspected to have the 2019-nCoV.
Two of these 23 PUIs are confined in hospitals in Cebu City, Central Visayas. /elb