85 percent of persons checked for COVID-19 tested negative
MANILA, Philippines — Eighty-five percent of persons investigated for COVID-19 in the country have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.
Specifically, the Health Chief Francisco Duque III said in a press conference that samples of 531 out of 618 patients under investigation (PUIs) yielded negative results for the virus.
Of the 618 PUIs, Duque said 588 patients have been discharged from hospitals while 30 patients are still admitted in their respective health facilities.
Duque said there are still samples from 40 PUIs that are pending at Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH is under “code blue” for COVID-19, which means there is only heightened surveillance and contact tracing since there is no recorded local transmission yet in the country.
EDV
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For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
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