Number of people in hospitals for nCoV watch rises to 15 in Central Visayas

Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) regional director Jaime Bernadas and Bureau of Quarantine Chief of Office in Central Visayas Terrence Anthony Bermejo answers queries from the media during a press conference on Monday. (DALE ISRAEL/INQUIRER VISAYAS)

CEBU CITY—The number of people admitted in hospitals for symptoms similar to those of new coronavirus (nCoV) had risen to 15 on Monday (Feb. 3), according to the Department of Health (DOH), which calls these Patients Under Investigation (PUI).

Eleven of the 15 are in Cebu City while 3 are in Negros Oriental. One is in Bohol province. Last Friday (Jan. 31), only 4 PUIs were listed in the region.

Jaime Bernados, DOH Central Visayas director, said the spike in number could be attributed mainly to contract tracing related to the Philippines’ first confirmed nCoV cases, that of a 38-year-old Chinese woman and her boyfriend. The man had already died, making him nCoV’s first fatality outside of China.

Bernados said some of the people in hospitals for nCoV observation had come into close contact with the Chinese couple.

He said the definition of PUI had been expanded to include people who have had exposure to carriers of the virus and those who had traveled to China and have shown nCoV symptoms that included fever, cough and cold.

Bernadas said some of those added to the list of PUIs are locals or Filipinos while some were also Chinese.

He, however, refused to give a detailed background of those who are in isolation and in hospitals.

It remained unclear yet if the 11 people in Cebu, who have had contact with the Chinese couple, were airport employees or passengers but Bernados said authorities the contact tracing covered not only airport workers but also passengers.

Terrence Anthony Bermejo, Bureau of Quarantine chief of office in Central Visayas, said the bureau was monitoring its employees, a team of at least five people, and none had shown flu-like symptoms since Jan. 21.

Michel Lenane, airport chief of operations, also said none of the employees of the airport operator, GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., had fallen sick and showed symptoms.

Edited by TSB