DOH: Japanese, Taiwanese with COVID-19 may have contracted virus outside Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — It is possible that the two foreign nationals who tested positive for the coronavirus disease may have contracted the potentially deadly virus outside the Philippines, the Department of Health said.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III confirmed Friday that a Taiwanese man, a Japanese man and a woman based in Australia tested positive for the infection after returning to their countries from the Philippines.

Related Stories Philippines confirms two new cases of COVID-2019

But Duque said the two men may have been infected even before setting foot in the Philippines.

The 38-year-old Taiwanese male visited the Philippines from February 28 to March 3. He developed abdominal discomfort and diarrhea on March 2 and experienced sore throat, fever and malaise on his last day in the country.

He was confirmed to have the virus on March 5.

“The onset of the symptoms on March 2 points to possible infection before the patient traveled to the Philippines,” Duque said.

The incubation period—between catching the virus and starting to have symptoms of the disease—range from one to 14 days, most commonly around five days.

Meanwhile, the 44-year-old Japanese male had traveled to Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan before visiting the Philippines from February 21 to 28. He stayed at three hotels in Metro Manila.

After his trip to the Philippines, the Japanese man flew back to Thailand on February 28 and experienced cough, shortness of breath and fever the next day. He consulted a clinic in Cambodia on March 3 and was referred to a hospital but no laboratory test was done.

The man then returned to Japan on March 4 and tested positive for COVID-19. He is in isolation at Aichi Prefecture Hospital.

“The extensive travel history of the patient suggests possible contraction of the disease in another country,” Duque said.

Female based in Australia

The third case is a woman living in Sydney, Australia who attended a wedding in Manila on February 13 and visited Pangasinan.

She left the Philippines on March 2 and was confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus by the New South Wales government on March 3.

The Health agency said it is still verifying information with the International Health Regulation National Focal Point Australia.

The Health department is tracking down the individuals who might have interaction with these foreigners.

The Philippines has recorded five confirmed cases of COVID-19—three Chinese nationals and two Filipinos. One of the three Chinese cases died while the other two recovered.

The fourth case is a 48-year-old male who has a travel history to Japan, while the fifth case—a 62-year-old male—has no known travel history outside the Philippines.

The Health chief said it is premature to say that the fifth case can be treated as a confirmed local transmission of the virus.

The virus has spread to some 80 countries and territories and infected more 95,000 people after first emerging in China late last year. The global death toll from the epidemic stood at 3,200.