Philippines: Chinese patient cured, shows novel coronavirus is not uniformly fatal, says official
Woman, 38, who travelled with only victim to die outside China, no longer infectious
Highlights
- A Chinese tourist from Wuhan who had been travelling with a man who died of the virus in the Philippines — is no longer showing symptoms
- She may be discharged soon
- There are 3 confirmed cases in the Philippines
- Official appeals to public: “Please don’t panic and don’t share fake news”
- There is no known transmission in the country — but more than 200 cases are being monitored for possible exposure to those that have been confirmed
- "Hopefully there will be no more nCoV confirmed cases in the future," says official
How Chinese tourist with coronavirus was cured in the Philippines
MANILA: The Philippines has announced that novel coronavirus patient has recovered, according to local media reports.
The first case of novel coronavirus in the Philippines — a Chinese tourist from Wuhan who had been travelling with a man who died of the virus — is no longer showing symptoms and may be discharged soon, according to a government official.
The last test on the 38-year-old woman, conducted on 6 February, showed she was negative for the virus, according to the health department.
Two consecutive negative tests are required before a patient may be discharged.
“This shows the novel coronavirus is not uniformly fatal and that recovery is more likely than dying from the disease,” said Dr Edsel Salvana, director of the University of the Philippines (UP) Institute of Molecular Biology.
'Don't panic, don't share fake news'
“Please don’t panic and don’t share fake news.”
Salvana has been active on social media leading efforts to fight misinformation about the outbreak.
DOH updates
There are still 261 PUIs (persons under investigation) admitted (out of 314, most of whom have been cleared), according to a Facebook post by Dr Salvana.
"Still only 3 confirmed, 1 dead, 2 recovered," said Dr. Salvana, Clinical Associate Professor at University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital and Adjunct Faculty for Global Health at University of Pittsburgh.
These are the latest numbers from the Philippines' Department of Health. It shows that out of 314 PUIs, 109 cases tested negative. Test results in 202 cases are still pending — with only 3 confirmed cases.
"The first-ever confirmed case has now been discharged which means she has had TWO negative tests. There are no new confirmed cases and no more admitted confirmed cases," he added.
"Hopefully there will be no more nCoV confirmed cases in the future. Let's keep praying for the safety of our healthcare workers. Follow instructions and don't share fake news. We will be okay," Dr Salvana wrote.
The government is also managing public concerns over the return of 30 Filipinos, including an infant, from Hubei province in China.
They arrived on a chartered plane early on Sunday and were brought to an isolated facility near Manila to begin a 14-day quarantine.
3 cases in the Philippines
The Philippines reported three cases.
The first case was the “travelling companion” – reported to be the girlfriend – of the 44-year old Wuhan man who died from the virus on 1 February.
It is the first and only death from coronavirus outside China and Hong Kong.
The third, a 60-year-old woman also from Wuhan, was belatedly confirmed after she had left the country.
The health department said she appeared to have recovered from the coronavirus.
She was discharged after samples sent to Australia tested negative.
But a belated test of an earlier sample, conducted after the country acquired capability for local testing, was positive.
There is no known transmission in the country — but more than 200 cases are being monitored for possible exposure to those that have been confirmed.