74 traced to have had contact with nCOV-positive Wuhan couple advised to undergo “home quarantine”

(Eagle News) – The 74 persons who have been traced to have had contact with the Chinese couple from Wuhan City who have travelled to Dumaguete City and Cebu have been advised to undergo “self-quarantine” for 14 days, and not to make contacts even with their family members as a precaution.

The Department of Health revealed that the 74 have also been advised to isolate themselves even from family members.

“As of today, mayroon na tayong nakitang 74 contacts nung dalawang pasyente na positibo sa nCoV, at sila po ay nabigyan na rin ng nararapat na advice kung anong gagawin nila with regards to home quarantine (we found 74 contacts of the two patients found to be positive for nCoV, and they have been given the proper advice on what to do with regards to home quarantine),” said Dr. Ferchito Avelino, head of the DOH’s Epidemiology Bureau.

He said that the 74 persons have been advised not to mingle with other members of their family.

Isolation lang din sa loob ng bahay. Walang privilege na makipaghalubilo sa miyembro ng pamilya habang binabantayan po sila sa loob ng 14 days (Isolation within their home. They have no privilege to mingle with family members while they are being observed for 14 days),” Avelino said in a DOH press briefing on Monday, Feb. 3.

He said that there were eight new PUIs who were observed to have coughs and colds.

“Doon sa 80 PUIs reported today, may nakitaan tayo sa contact tracing na may nagkaroon ng senyales, symptoms ng ubo at sipon, at ito ay kasama na sa bilang na ating ni-rereport ngayon (we observed in the contact tracing, those who exhibited symptoms of cough and colds, and they are among those numbers we are reporting today),” Avelino said.

There has been a spike in PUIs as of Feb. 3, from the total number of PUIs at 52 the previous day, Feb. 2. On Feb. 1, the number was even lower at 36 PUIs.

Case summary of persons under investigation (PUIs) for the novel coronavirus-2019 as of Feb. 3, 2020 as compiled by the Department of Health (Photo from Department of Health Facebook page/Courtesy DOH)

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III are advising the public to maintain good hygiene and implement other preventive measures such as the “proper washing of hands, observance of cough etiquette, and maintaining healthy lifestyle for developing healthy resistance.”

The DOH is maintaining that the country has had no record yet of local transmission of the novel coronavirus.

Duque said that the two positive cases for nCoV-2019 so far in the Philippines are “imported” cases since the Chinese couple came from Wuhan City.

“The one who died is a statistics for China. There is zero local transmission,” he said.

The Chinese couple from the virus epicenter Wuhan City were a 38-year old female who had only “mild cough” while the 44-year old male died from severe pneumonia, becoming the first nCoV fatality outside China.

The two arrived in the country on Jan. 21 from Wuhan City via Hong Kong.  They were admitted at the San Lazaro Hospital four days later, on Jan. 25, after they sought medical consultation for cold and cough symptoms.