PNP Health Service to assist in probing suspected case of SARS-like virus

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Health Service will help the Department of Health (DOH) in investigating the case of a five-year-old Chinese boy who traveled from Wuhan, China to Cebu City and later yielded positive results for a “non-specific pancoronavirus.”

“PNP chief PGen Archie Francisco Gamboa has ordered the Director of PNP Health Service, under P/BGen John Luglug to coordinate with the Department of Health authorities as it continues to probe whether the SARS-like virus had infected a 5-year-old Chinese boy,” PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said in a statement on Wednesday.

Banac said that regional directors of Police Regional Offices were mandated to coordinate with their respective regional health offices to locate other persons who could have “flu-like symptoms” of the said virus.

PNP personnel will also help DOH in “containing possible public health hazards posed by this virus,” Banac said.

On Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced that the DOH is probing the case of a boy from Wuhan, China, who was admitted in Cebu for having fever, throat irritation and cough before arriving in the Philippines.

The samples from the patient tested positive for “non-specific pancorona virus assay” but the sample was sent to Australia to identify its specific coronavirus strain.

In China, the new strain of coronavirus, which was believed to be originated in Wuhan, infected more than 200 people. Of the 200, four people died due to the outbreak.