MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday declined to confirm that the person who is now the fifth case of COVID-19 in the Philippines was once admitted to Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan.
“We cannot give that information. We will keep it at that, you have to respect that,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a press conference after a reporter asked about messages circulating online that the patient was first seen at the San Juan-based hospital.
Earlier, the country’s health department announced the fifth confirmed case of the deadly disease, which is also the second new case, involved a 62-year-old man who is currently suffering from severe pneumonia.
On reports that the fifth case is a vendor in a shopping center in San Juan, Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said: “They have no information on that.”
The first new case involved another 48-year-old Filipino who is currently under stable condition and is admitted to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine along with the 62-year-old man.