DOH reports first Filipino to die in PH from coronavirus

MANILA, Philippines — A patient of Manila Doctors Hospital, who was diagnosed with COVID-19, has died, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

“The reported death is the patient with ID PH35 confined at the Manila Doctors Hospital in Manila City,” read the statement.

“DOH will provide further details soon as it is available,” it added.

The Philippine health department was referring to the 35th patient who was a 67-year-old Filipino with no travel history.

The said Filipino was admitted to the hospital and tested positive for the disease this Wednesday.

The first fatality due to the disease involved a 44-year-old Chinese man, who was admitted to San Lazaro Hospital in Manila.

The case of the Chinese man was also the first COVID-19 death reported outside of mainland China.

It was also the case that prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to impose a travel restriction to China and its Special Administrative Regions (SARs) including Hong Kong and Macau.

The coronavirus disease was caused by the novel coronavirus, which was first detected from Wuhan City of Hubei province in China in late 2019.

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses identified the novel coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2.

The novel coronavirus causes respiratory symptoms including fever and cough but it can cause serious illnesses such as pneumonia, especially to older adults and people with existing health issues.