LEGAZPI CITY—Health workers at one of the biggest hospitals in the Bicol region are closely monitoring three patients for symptoms of the deadly novel coronavirus (nCoV).
Staff at the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital (BRTTH) in Albay province said the patients had been admitted on Thursday (Feb. 6).
Dr. Rogelio Rivera, BRTTH chief, said in a phone interview that two patients came from the United States and stopped over in Shanghai, one of the areas in China reeling from nCoV infections.
The two, a couple, are now in isolation at the BRTTH and under observation following protocol approved by the Department of Health for preventing the spread of nCoV, which originated from a wildlife market in Wuhan, a highly developed city in the Chinese province of Hubei.
Aside from the couple, another patient who had close contact with them is also being observed.
Respiratory samples were taken from the three and sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City for tests.
The Office of Civil Defense in Bicol had placed the Regional Disaster Management Coordinating Council on a blue alert status.
This meant disaster mitigating councils of all local government units in the region were required to activate emergency operations centers for strict monitoring of nCoV.