MANILA, Philippines – There is no recorded case of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Davao City as of Friday, City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio clarified after alleged fake statements spread on social media.
According to an official statement from the Davao’s local government unit, they were still monitoring eight Chinese nationals who arrived in the city but said that none of them have tested positive for 2019-nCoV.
“(The City Government of Davao) has been closely coordinating with the Department of Health and other national government agencies on what measures to take to prevent and control the spread of the virus,” Duterte-Carpio said on Friday.
“We have placed health standards to avert the feared spread of the virus. People showing symptoms and have been suspected as possible cases were closely and properly monitored by our health professionals trained to handle these cases,” she added.
Duterte-Carpio also called on the public to stay calm and stop spreading misleading news, especially after a LinkedIn account named Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio made a false claim about the presence of the 2019-nCoV in Davao City.
The account has been removed from LinkedIn’s platform as of Friday afternoon.
“This is to inform the public that the statement circulated through a Sara Z. Duterte Linkedin’s account and has been attributed to me is a hoax,” she explained. “Except for my personal Instagram, I do not own any other social media accounts anymore.”
“We also release official statements through official platforms and channels,” she said. “We ask the public not to be fooled by people or groups presenting themselves as Sara Duterte.”
This latest strain of the coronavirus, often compared to the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, originated in Wuhan, China. As of Friday, over 9,000 people in mainland China have been infected, with at least 213 dead.
This has forced Wuhan’s local officials to shut down outbound train trips and flights to contain the spread of the disease. However, all regions in China have registered confirmed cases.
Earlier, the World Health Organization has declared a global emergency over the outbreak.
READ: WHO declares global emergency over new coronavirus outbreak
READ: Naitalang nasawi sa novel coronavirus umakyat na sa 212
The entry of the virus in the Philippines saw social media erupting with calls to block off flights from China to prevent tourists from infecting other people. In Twitter, the hashtag #OustDuterte — pertaining to Duterte-Carpio’s father and President Rodrigo Duterte — was the top trending topic in the Philippines.
READ: Duterte orders travel ban from Hubei