453 patients monitored for COVID-19 test negative for infection

MANILA, Philippines — A total of 453 patients monitored for COVID-19 have tested negative for the viral infection, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday.

Latest data from the DOH case tracker showed there are 521 patients under investigation (PUIs) monitored by the department for COVID-19. Of this number, 347 patients have already been discharged, while 171 remain admitted in hospitals.

The remaining three are the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus—all Chinese nationals—of which one died on February 1.

Patients monitored for COVID-19 need to yield two consecutive negative results before they can be released from isolation in hospitals.

“The decrease in our admitted patients under investigation reflects the department’s strengthened surveillance, assessment and management intervention for COVID-19 health event,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a statement read by DOH Assistant Secretary Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire in a press briefing.

“Although we see a decreasing trend, the department will not be complacent and will be more vigilant as we brace for the possibility of local transmission in our country,” he said.

As of Sunday, a total of 498 PUIs were monitored by the DOH for COVID-19. Patients under investigation are those who have travel history to China and show symptoms of the disease, including fever, cough, and colds.

The death toll due to the viral infection jumped to over 1,700 globally, mostly in mainland China, including five people in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, France, and Taiwan. More than 71,000 people have been infected.

Edited by EDV