MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte was to meet officials of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases and Metro Manila mayors on Monday afternoon after health officials recorded additional cases of COVID-19.
“Pinatawag po ang lahat, ang Inter-Agency Task Force, plus some Cabinet members including Metro Manila mayors at lahat po ng experts on infectious diseases pinatawag din po ni Pangulong Duterte,” Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, Duterte’s longtime aide, told reporters in the Senate.
Duterte was expected to hold a press conference in Malacañang after the meeting.
The meeting came hours after Duterte declared a state of public health emergency as COVID-19 infection in the country increased to 10 over the weekend.
Of the confirmed cases, seven are currently admitted to various hospitals while two have recovered as one patient died. The fatality was a tourist from China’s city of Wuhan in Hubei province, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The four new COVID-19 patients are separately admitted to the Makati Medical Center, St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City, The Medical City in Ortigas, and St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier disclosed.