Las Piñas boosts surveillance effort amid first confirmed COVID-19 case

MANILA, Philippines — The city government of Las Piñas intensified Thursday its contact tracing efforts after it recorded its first confirmed case of the 2019 coronavirus disease or COVID-19.

The Department of Health (DOH) has so far reported 49 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, including patient number 36 or “PH 36”, who is a 53-year-old male currently confined in the Las Piñas General Hospital and Trauma Center.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the local government said its health office is conducting contact tracing on PH 36’s family. The patient, who has no travel history, tested positive for the disease on March 11, Wednesday.

“The surveillance team of Las Piñas City Health Office is conducting contact tracing to all members of the family of the patient, all its close contacts,” City of Las Piñas said in a statement posted on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/cityoflaspinasofficial/photos/a.314078858690797/2747960941969231/?type=3&theater

In line with this, the local government’s COVID-19 task force issued hotlines for emergencies. Las Piñas City dwellers may contact (02) 8994-5782/091564813735/09284627034 for concerns related to the coronavirus disease.

The novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2 first emerged in China’s City of Wuhan in Hubei province in late 2019. The virus leads to COVID-19, a respiratory disease that carries simple symptoms like fever, cough, and colds for most people but could be worse or high-risk to older individuals and people with other existing health conditions.

KGA