Another suspected coronavirus carrier recorded in Quezon

Airport personnel look at thermal scanners as they check on arriving passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. (AP File Photo)

LUCENA CITY, Philippines – The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) in Quezon recorded another suspected carrier of corona virus disease (COVID-19) classified as patient under investigation (PUI) status in the province.

In a public advisory at 5 p.m. Friday, IPHO said the new PUI is confined in an undisclosed hospital and is being attended to by the Department of Health (DOH) and IPHO medical staff while awaiting the result of the specimen tests from the national reference laboratory.

The PUIs are those who traveled to mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau in the past 14 days since the COVID-19 broke out, who have consulted doctors due to coughs, cold, or fever.

The six PUIs recorded earlier have tested negative for the virus and have been discharged from hospitals.

The provincial health office gave assurances that, “as of Feb. 21 – 5 p.m. Quezon province remains negative for COVID-19 cases.”

The local health authorities also recorded a total of 48 possible virus carriers classified as person under monitoring (PUM) status in the province. At least 25 have completed the mandatory 14-day home quarantine period.

They remained healthy and without any respiratory symptoms, the IPHO said.

The remaining 23 were still under home quarantine and close observation.

The PUMs are those who recently traveled to China, Macau, or Hong Kong “but showed no respiratory symptoms and were advised to go into home quarantine” immediately after their arrival.

The IPHO maintained that the high number of PUMs should not cause public alarm. It explained that the figures were the result of strengthened surveillance and monitoring by the community health workers.