DOH Sec Francisco Duque III. Noy Morcoso / INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Eighty individuals are now considered as patients under investigation (PUIs) for suspected infection of the novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease or 2019-nCoV ARD, the Department of Health (DOH) revealed Monday.
“Meron po tayong 80 pasyente na tinaguriang [patients] under investigation or PUIs para sa ating (We have 80 patients under investigation for) nCoV acute respiratory disease,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a press briefing.
Of the 80 patients, health authorities said 67 were placed in isolation in hospitals while 10 have already been sent home as they were found to be negative for the deadly virus.
According to DOH, included in the PUI count was the 29-year-old Chinese national from Yunnan, who was initially placed under observation for suspected 2019-nCoV ARD but died January 29 due to pneumonia although he was found negative for the new coronavirus. He, however, allegedly had HIV.
Further, DOH said the PUI tally included the 38-year-old Chinese woman, tagged as the Philippines’ first 2019-nCoV case, and her partner, the 44-year-old Chinese man, who was also found positive for the new coronavirus and died on February 1 after contracting severe pneumonia while confined at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila. He became the country’s second novel coronavirus case and first 2019-nCoV death in the Philippines and outside China.
The couple came from Wuhan – the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak – and arrived in the Philippines on January 21. Both were said to have traveled to Cebu and Dumaguete before flying to Manila on January 25, when the Chinese woman sought treatment for her mild cough and eventually admitted to a hospital in Manila.
DOH further said it is awaiting test results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine on 48 more patients, which are also included in the 80 PUIs.
As of 12 noon Saturday, February 1, DOH reported only 36 PUIs. Monday’s total number of PUIs was a sharp jump, which Duque attributed to local health officials’ “improved” monitoring as it likewise included DOH’s successful tracing of the individuals who were in close contact with the Chinese couple found with 2019-nCoV ARD.
Duque also said the number of PUIs increased because DOH has already expanded the definition of patients under investigation.
Originally, DOH only considers persons who have a history of traveling specifically from Hubei province where the city of Wuhan – the epicenter of the outbreak – is located as PUIs and labels those who have a history of travel from China in the last 14 days and manifesting flu-like symptoms as mere “nCoV-related health events”.
But under the new definition, Duque said PUIs now cover everyone who has travel history from China and has shown symptoms of the virus in the last 14 days.