3 more Covid-19 deaths in PH: DOH

In an announcement, DOH identified the three as Patients No. 5, No. 6, and No. 37. (File Photo by CDC/Unsplash)

MANILA — Three more Filipinos with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) have died, bringing the death toll in the Philippines to five, the Department of Health (DOH) reported Thursday night.

In an announcement, DOH identified the three as Patients No. 5, No. 6, and No. 37.

Patient No. 6, the wife of Patient No. 5, was initially admitted at Cardinal Santos Medical Center and transferred to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

The DOH said she “suddenly experienced difficulty in breathing and was intubated late evening of March 11”.

On the same night, the patient died from acute respiratory distress syndrome due to severe pneumonia secondary to Covid-19.

DOH said a repeat chest x-ray showed progressive pneumonia. Patient No. 6 is a known diabetic.

Meanwhile, Patient No. 5, her husband, expired late evening of March 11 also from acute respiratory distress syndrome due to severe pneumonia secondary to the disease.

He is a known diabetic and hypertensive who developed an acute kidney injury.

The third and latest death caused by the disease was Patient No. 37, an 88-year-old female and resident of Pasig City.

She was admitted on March 6 at the Philippine Heart Center after experiencing onset of symptoms on February 28.

“The patient expired this afternoon with Acute Respiratory Failure as the cause of death,” the DOH said.

She was reported to have existing hypertension.

This developed following the death of Patient No. 35, the 67-year-old wife of Patient No. 34. The country’s first fatality was a Chinese national who was also the first recorded Covid-19 death outside China.

As of Thursday, the DOH reported a total of 52 confirmed Covid-19 cases in the Philippines.