Communicable Diseases Cluster medical officer Dr. Maria Eloisa Vidar, local health support division chief medical officer Dr. Lailani Mangulabnan, and JBL Memorial Regional Hospital medical center chief Dr. Monserrat Chichioco give update on nCoV status. Photo by Joann Manabat
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — At least 10 individuals in Central Luzon have been considered by the Department of Health Region 3 as persons under investigation (PUI) in different hospitals.
This was disclosed during a press briefing on the Wuhan coronavirus here on Monday. According to Dr. Monserrat Chichioco, Jose B. Lingad Regional Medical Center chief, six of the 10 patients are admitted in the regional hospital here while four others are in an undisclosed private hospital.
She said all 10 patients in Central Luzon are being closely monitored and observed. Five patients have also been observed to be recuperating well, showing only minor signs and symptoms.
“Sa ngayon, we have six patients na nasa aming pangangalaga and they are contained in one of our isolation buildings. Yung lima are doing really well. Asymptomatic na yung tatlo, yung dalawang bata may ubo at sipon pa sila pero yung tatlong adult wala na pong sintomas ng ubo’t sipon,” Chichioco said.
She said among the 10 PUIs are four Filipinos, two of whom from Pampanga and two from Bulacan; a tourist from China, a Briton, a Taiwanese, and a businessman.
According to the JBL hospital chief, the samples from the six patients at JBL were sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for confirmatory tests.
Once results come out as negative, the patients are treated as regular case and considered with acute respiratory infection or pneumonia.
“Binabantayan na lamang po namin sila dahil pinadala po namin ang sample nila sa RITM at kung mag-test sila as negative, maaga na namin sila idi-discharge at ima-manage kung ano man ang condition nila ngayon,” said Chichioco.
She also explained that the patients who are under investigation for the Wuhan coronavirus at JBL hospital are in an isolation building separate from other patients who were admitted for other reasons.
Protocols at the emergency room are also being implemented both for patients and frontline personnel.
The JBL Regional Medical Center assigned two buildings to isolate PUIs as well as confirmed patients and prepared six critical care facility areas for any Wuhan coronavirus patients that will be diagnosed as in critical condition.
In the meantime, Dr. Maria Eloisa Vidar, Communicable Disease Cluster medical officer, said they cannot give further details on the patients that are admitted at the private hospitals to protect the patients and medical personnel.
“For the protection of the clients as well, we cannot disclose the information on where the patients are admitted. With due respect to the patients and the workers who are taking care of our PUIs. We can only give general information but not specifics,” she explained.
For her part, Dr. Lailani Mangulabnan, local health support division chief, clarified the status of the PUIs who traveled from any of the provinces in China including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. She said these are being closely monitored especially those who developed signs and symptoms such as coughs, colds and fever.
“We’d like to correct the notion pag sinabing PUI, gusto lang natin silang bantayan para hindi na mag progress ang sakit nila. They are receiving proper management sa ating nga hospitals,” said Mangulabnan.
It was also learned that the drug rehabilitation facility in Nueva Ecija donated by China is being readied as a quarantine facility as well as the Bureau of Quarantine facility in Magalang, Pampanga.
The DOH confirmed the first Wuhan coronavirus death in the Philippines on February 2 following the confirmation of the first positive case last January 30. The two Wuhan coronavirus confirmed patients were from Wuhan, China and arrived in the country via Hong Kong last January 21.
As of press time, there are a total of 80 PUIs recorded in the Philippines and 10 discharged cases.
