Patients under investigation for novel coronavirus reach 314 — DOH

Health Usec. Eric Domingo. INQUIRER.net file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — The number of patients under investigation (PUIs) for the novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD) reached 314 as of 12 noon Monday.

Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo announced in a press briefing that of these patients, 261 are still admitted in hospitals.

Forty-eight of the PUIs have been discharged after testing negative from the virus, according to the real-time tracker launched by the DOH. Three Chinese nationals who were among the PUIs have earlier tested positive for nCoV: the 44-year-old Chinese man who died on Feb. 1 and two Chinese women who have already been discharged from hospitals. Two other PUIs — one who tested positive for HIV but negative for the virus and died of pneumonia, and another who had lung disease and also died of pneumonia and not of the virus — are included in the tally.

This was an increase from the 284 PUIs recorded by the DOH as of 12 noon Sunday.

“We are seeing a rapid increase in transmission rate of the virus globally, as you have probably been tracking, and in response, the DOH has strengthened its capacity in preparation for the possibility of local transmission,” Domingo said.

“All DOH hospitals are equipped to cater to the influx of patients and are following strict infection control protocols to contain the virus,” he added.

There have been 910 deaths due to the virus as of Sunday, all recorded in mainland China, where the virus broke out, besides the two fatalities in the Philippines and Hong Kong.

More than 40,000 individuals have been affected by the outbreak globally, mostly in China.

Meanwhile, Domingo also confirmed that the 38-year-old Chinese woman tagged as the country’s first case of the virus infection was released from San Lazaro Hospital in Manila on Saturday after finally testing negative from the virus in two consecutive medical examinations.