2 repatriates from Wuhan hospitalized due to diarrhea: DOH

FILE: The DFA brought back to the Philippines today a total of 30 Filipinos who wished to return home from Wuhan City, ground zero of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Acute Respiratory Disease (2019-nCoV ARD). (Photo: DFAPHL/Twitter)

MANILA — Two repatriates from Wuhan in China under quarantine were brought to the hospital due to diarrhea and abdominal discomfort, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Wednesday.

“Yesterday (Tuesday), two repatriates, a one-year-old male, and a 34-year-old female, were brought to Jose B.

Lingad Memorial General Hospital due to diarrhea and abdominal discomfort. Both tested negative for the (coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19)) and will be sent back to New Clark City to complete the 14-day quarantine period,” said Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo in a press briefing at the DOH main office.

Domingo assured that all repatriates are checked twice daily and are provided with activities to keep them busy and lessen their boredom.

“We are likewise facilitating psychosocial processing to ensure their mental well-being,” he said.

He added that those who don’t have mobile access within the facility will be provided SIM and cell cards.

Earlier, the DOH reported that 30 Filipinos repatriated from China are taken care of in the quarantine facility inside the Athletes’ Village at the New Clark City Capas, Tarlac.

Updates on PUIs, contact tracing

Domingo said there are currently 238 persons under investigation (PUIs) in the country.

“As of (noon) today, there are 238 PUIs (persons under investigation) currently admitted in various health facilities, while 165 PUIs have been discharged. Meanwhile, 208 PUIs have tested negative and three tested positive for the novel coronavirus. There are 197 cases pending test results from RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine),” Domingo said.

As of Wednesday, the DOH Epidemiology Bureau and the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group have identified all 455 contacts of the first and second cases of the Covid-19.

Of the 455 contacts, 277 or 61 percent have been interviewed and 44 contacts who are symptomatic have been admitted as PUIs.

On the third confirmed case, a total of 246 or 34 percent out of 731 contacts were traced, including co-passengers and individual contacts from hotels and hospitals.

About 164 or 22 percent of them have been interviewed, of which 149 were placed on home quarantine and 15 symptomatic contacts have been categorized as PUIs and admitted for isolation and monitoring.

Covid-19

Domingo said the DOH has adopted “coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)” for the name of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

This, after the World Health Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations agreed to name the disease in a manner that will minimize cultural, social, and geographical stigma.

“The WHO categorized the Covid-19 health event as high risk regionally and globally, with a total of 43,103 confirmed cases in 24 countries.

Local transmission of the disease was also reported in Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Germany, France, Vietnam, South Korea, and Australia,” Domingo said.

He added that the DOH is assessing the situation and crafting its own guidelines based on available evidence to combat the Covid-19 threat as local transmission continues to happen in other countries.