DOH-7 monitors 9 persons suspected of COVID-19

Medical workers attend to a patient infected with the novel coronavirus pneumonia in Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Feb 22, 2020. (Photo by Ke Hao/For chinadaily.com.cn via China Daily/Asia News Network)

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Nine persons suspected of having the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are now confined in Central Visayas, recent data from the region’s Department of Health (DOH-7) showed.

The number of Persons Under Monitoring (PUMs) recorded as of February 28 have reached 194, including the 26 South Koreans from Daegu City who arrived in Cebu last February 25.

A total of 60 patients under investigation (PUIs), on the other hand, have been discharged from the region as of February 28.

Koreans accounted for

All South Koreans from Daegu City, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak there, has been accounted for as of 5:00 p.m. on February 28, or around five hours after they were initially reported as missing by health authorities.

Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH – 7 director, said the tourists from South Korea had been considered as PUMs, and had now been placed under self-quarantine in their respective hotel rooms.

Meanwhile, the number of PUIs nationwide has continually dropped. As of February 28, the number is down to 30 from 64 recorded on the other day, February 27. The same trend had also been observed in terms of confirmed COVID-19 cases in China.

However, threats of a looming pandemic covered countries outside of China as more had reported sharp increases of COVID-19 cases in their areas.

South Korea remains the nation with the most number of patients recorded, at 2,337. It was followed by Italy at 655, and Iran at 338.

The number of infected patients now stands at 83, 774, with 2,867 deaths. /dbs