No more fever, cough and colds but PH’s 1st nCoV patient still has virus – DOH
MANILA, Philippines — The 38-year-old Chinese woman labeled as the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) would still remain in the hospital despite the absence of fever, cough, and colds in the last 48 hours.
Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said that while the woman has fully recovered from the symptoms of the 2019-nCoV, the latest laboratory tests show the virus is still present in her system although it has been diminishing. The Chinese woman is confined at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila.
“[She has] no fever, no cough, colds. However, the latest test that was done itong (in the) last 48 hours [showed she] was still positive but there are signs na ‘yung viral load niya ay bumababa (that the viral load is decreasing),” he said in a press briefing.
“Kumokonti na ‘yung virus pero positive pa rin so hindi pa rin natin siya pinapauwi (The virus infection is decreasing but she is still positive for the infection that’s why she is still yet to be sent home). [She is] still admitted,” he added.
The Chinese woman arrived in the Philippines on January 21 and traveled to Cebu and Dumaguete before flying to Manila on January 25, when she also sought treatment for her mild cough. She was the partner of the 44-year-old Chinese man who died on February 1 after developing severe pneumonia. The 2019-nCoV attacks the respiratory system and could cause acute respiratory disease. He was recorded as the first novel coronavirus fatality in the Philippines and outside China.
According to Domingo, it is possible that patients who initially tested positive for the novel coronavirus will eventually test negative “once their immune system mounts defense against it.”
He noted that even China has documented patients who first tested positive for nCoV but later turned negative in subsequent tests.
Of the 133 persons checked by DOH for nCoV as of 12 noon Wednesday, 16 have already been discharged after testing negative for the virus.
Domingo assured that patients checked for suspected infection are not discharged unless they test negative for the virus in two medical tests.
“Unless it’s completely eliminated from your body and it’s negative, that’s when you can send the patient home,” he said.
The 2019-nCoV outbreak started in China’s city of Wuhan in Hubei province. As of February 5, the novel coronavirus has claimed the lives of 490 people and infected 24,324 in China alone.
Edited by KGA
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