Chinese man from Wuhan in quarantine in GenSan

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — A health official here disclosed that a Chinese man is being monitored for possible novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection.

Dr. Lalaine Calonzo, disease officer of the city health office, said the male Chinese national, who recently arrived after celebrating the Spring Festival in China, had gone on self-quarantine at home.

The Chinese national, tagged as patient under investigation, arrived in the city last Jan. 23 from Wuhan, the epicenter of the nCoV epidemic in China.

“He has voluntarily placed himself in isolation in his home and has not been in physical contact with anyone,” said Calonzo.

The health officer said the Chinese national is being closely monitored and would be watched for 14 days “for any signs of nCoV.”

Calonzo said health officials had already started gathering travel details and history from the Chinese man, who had not yet shown any nCoV symptom like cough, cold or fever.

The man runs a business in the city and had been living here for the last four years.

The possible presence of an nCoV carrier in the city prompted health officials to discuss with hospital administrators the need to set up an isolation facility in hospitals to prepare in case the virus spreads.

The city government-run George Royeca Hospital is categorized only as Level 1 and lacked the tools and equipment to deal with tests needed on patients being investigated for nCoV.

Calonzo, however, sought to allay fears of residents, saying General Santos remained free of nCoV.

A female Overseas Filipino Worker, who came from Dubai via Hong Kong, also went into self-quarantine but was found negative of the virus and discharged from a local hospital.

In Sarangani, provincial health officer Dr. Alvin Alejandro said health officials had mobilized more than 1,000 village health workers as front liners in the campaign to prevent an outbreak of nCoV.

These village health workers would help monitor arrival of OFWs from countries with confirmed cases of nCoV.

Alejandro said village health workers were easily deployable and could quickly monitor the arrival of persons from countries with nCoV cases and help anyone go into self-quarantine for 14 days, the estimated maximum incubation period of nCoV.

In the town of Malungan, officials were requiring every arriving resident or visitor to submit to quarantine regardless of port of origin or nationality.

Edited by TSB