PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — The Brazilian family isolated in a Palawan provincial hospital for suspected novel coronavirus (nCoV) has been discharged, following a negative result on the third and final confirmatory test done by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
Doctor Melencio Dy, provincial hospital director, confirmed that the foreign family was discharged around 5 p.m. on Saturday after the Department of Health (DOH) issued the 10-year-old girl’s clearance.
“The final result detected no coronavirus, so the interpretation was that the girl was negative,” Dy said.
The Brazilian child was treated for pneumonia and had since undergone doses of antibiotics.
The family declined interviews, but hospital sources said that they intend to resume their family vacation flying for Cebu some time this week.
International flights from Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China were cancelled at the Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPIA) to “mitigate the would be effect of coronavirus.”
The Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan region remains nCoV-free, as of press time, according to Doctor Mario Baquilod, DOH regional director.