First fatality outside China

MANILA, Philippines — A 44-year-old Chinese man who tested positive for the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (nCoV ARD) has died, the Department of Health (DOH) reported yesterday.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the Chinese man from Wuhan, China the epicenter of the nCoV ARD outbreak was also recorded as the second confirmed case of the potentially deadly infection in the country.

“Over the course of the patient’s admission, he developed severe pneumonia due to multiple viral and bacterial infections,” Duque said.

He added that the patient was initially stable and even showed signs of improvement. The patient’s condition, however, deteriorated, leading to his death last Saturday.

Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said the nCoV confirmatory test on the samples taken from the fatality was conducted by the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City. Laboratory tests on the samples from his partner were done and sent to Australia.

Domingo said there were no signs that the male nCoV carrier was immuno-compromised.

World Health Organization (WHO) country representative Rabindra Abeyansinghe said the case of the Chinese man was the first nCoV ARD death outside China since the outbreak.

“This is the first reported death outside China; however, we need to take into mind that this is not a locally acquired case,” Abeyansinghe said, adding that the man acquired the infection from Wuhan, where a high number of nCoV deaths has been reported.

The DOH and the WHO are working closely to contain the spread of nCoV and efficiently manage those infected.

The Chinese man has no history of pre-existing medical condition, but he died of pneumonia complications resulting from nCoV ARD.

Duque said the Chinese man arrived with his female Chinese companion in the country via Hong Kong on Jan. 21 and were both admitted four days later for isolation at San Lazaro Hospital after experiencing fever, cough and sore throat.

Domingo said the remains of the Chinese man would be cremated based on protocol on proper disposal of the body of a person who died of infectious illness.

“We are coordinating with the Chinese embassy in scheduling the cremation of the remains,” Domingo said, noting that cremation needs to be done at the soonest possible time.

The DOH official added that the Chinese man’s partner, who is the country’s first confirmed case of nCoV ARD, is now asymptomatic, but is still confined at San Lazaro Hospital.

As of yesterday, Domingo said the DOH has recorded a total of 36 persons under investigation (PUIs) for nCoV. Of the number, two were confirmed carriers while 24 tested negative and 10 have been discharged from hospital.

He added that the DOH is still awaiting laboratory results of four PUIs. All of the four, he said, are in stable condition.

The number of PUIs in the country has not been increasing rapidly and the imposition of the temporary travel ban can help prevent the spread of infection, according to the DOH official.

Unlike before, Domingo said they are now subjecting blood and swab samples taken from all PUIs for laboratory testing at the RITM.

Results of nCoV confirmatory tests are known within 24 hours.

“The RITM laboratory is now well set up and they can do the test for nCoV quickly and efficiently,” he noted.

The samples from PUIs are being checked for all pathogens aside from nCoV.

“Before, there are many screenings and only those with high index of suspicion are sent for nCoV confirmatory test. Now, when a person is classified as PUI, he or she will be immediately tested for nCoV,” Domingo said.

San Lazaro Hospital director Edmundo Lopez said four PUIs, including the two who tested for nCoV ARD, were admitted at the Manila-based hospital.

Lopez noted that the PUIs are confined in a highly restricted area in the hospital where visitors are not allowed as part of precautionary measures.

Health workers attending to PUIs, he said, are required to strictly wear personal protective equipment.

At a press conference, Duque assured the public that all measures needed to contain the spread of the virus are being strictly implemented.

At San Lazaro Hospital, the health chief said rigorous infection control protocols for all health personnel who came in contact with PUIs are being undertaken.

Duque further noted that the DOH’s Epidemiology Bureau is conducting contact tracing of passengers aboard the flights of the two positive cases and the places they have visited in the country.

The Philippine government has implemented a temporary travel ban for travelers coming from China, Macau and Hong Kong to protect the health of Filipinos.

“We are continuously recalibrating our plans and efforts as the situation develops,” Duque said, as he asked the public to heed health advisories and refrain from sharing unverified information concerning the coronavirus.

“Currently, there are no reports of community spread of the virus within the country. However, the public is still reminded to practice prevention measures such as proper hand hygiene and observance of cough etiquette,” Duque said.

President Duterte had earlier approved a temporary ban on all travelers, except Filipinos, from China and its autonomous regions.

The United States, Japan, Singapore and Australia have imposed similar restrictions despite criticism from China and an assessment from the WHO that they were unnecessarily hurting trade and travel.

Extended lunar new year holiday

After Huanggang, the trading center of Wenzhou in coastal Zhejiang province also confined people to homes, allowing only one family member to venture out every other day to buy necessary supplies.

With the outbreak showing little sign of abating, authorities in Hubei and elsewhere have extended the Lunar New Year holiday, due to end this week, well into February. The annual travel crunch of millions of people returning from their hometowns to the cities is thought to pose a major threat of secondary infection at a time when authorities are encouraging people to avoid public gatherings.

All Hubei schools will postpone the opening of the new semester until further notice and students from elsewhere who visited over the holiday will also be excused from classes.

Far away on China’s southeast coast, the manufacturing hub of Wenzhou put off the opening of government offices until Feb. 9, private businesses until Feb. 17 and schools until March 1.

With nearly 10 million people, Wenzhou has reported 241 confirmed cases of the virus, accounting for one of the highest levels outside Hubei. Similar measures have been announced in the provinces and cities of Heilongjiang, Shandong, Guizhou, Hebei and Hunan, while the major cities of Shanghai and Beijing were on indefinite leave pending developments.