MANILA, Philippines — Actor Christopher De Leon confirmed Tuesday he tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In an Instagram post, De Leon said he did not have recent travel history outside the Philippines and had no known contact with any COVID-19-positive patient.
“Today, our doctor confirmed that I have COVID-19,” the actor said.
Due to the nature of his work as an actor, he asked anyone he engaged with to place themselves on self-quarantine.
“I therefore ask anyone who has come in contact me within the last week or two to observe stringent self-quarantine, observe for symptoms and follow the triage procedures published by the DOH [Department of Health], whether asymptomatic or not,” he said.
De Leon said his wife, children and helper at home all subjected themselves to self-quarantine.
“In this time of trial, we ask for your prayers and we continue to praise and thank the Lord for His goodness in our lives,” he asked.
Health officials have so far recorded 187 cases, including 12 fatalities, related to COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus that first emerged in China’s city of Wuhan in Hubei province in late 2019.
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the novel coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2.
The virus causes mild symptoms such as fever and cough for most people but can cause serious illness such as pneumonia for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.