COVID-19 cases in the Philippines climb to 52 as WHO declares crisis a pandemic

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 6:35 p.m.) — The Philippines’ confirmed coronavirus diseases continued to pick up on Thursday after the Department of Health tallied three infections, raising the country’s total to 52.

This comes after the World Health Organization characterized the new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, meaning it is spreading in several regions through local transmissions.

The country’s new confirmed cases are the following:

•PH50; 69-year-old female from Quezon City who had no known travel history. She is admitted at the Medical City.

• PH52; 26-year-old male from Quezon City who had no known travel history. He is currently being treated at the Makati Medical Center.

• PH53, 79-year-old female who had a travel history to United Kingdom. She is confined in Asian Hospital and Medical Center.

A vast majority of confirmed infections in the Philippines were only detected in the last six days after a month-long lull in cases.

There are concerns that the figure may be bigger due to the country’s very limited testing program.

"So we continually ask the public to cooperate and help us in the investigation and contact tracing activities. Individuals with history of known exposure to a positive patient and/or travel to areas with local transmission, within and outside the country, presenting with mild symptoms are advised to self-isolate and be home quarantined for 14 days," Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

The spread of the virus in the country prompted the enforcement of travel ban, suspension of classes, cancelation of events and adjustment in working schemes.

First local Filipino death

DOH on late Wednesday evening reported the first local death due to the new coronavirus: a 67-year-old Filipina, identified as the country’s 35th COVID-19 case.

Patient 35 experienced symptoms on February 29 and was brought to Manila Doctors’ Hospital on March 5 along with her husband.

She passed away around noon of the same day she was diagnosed with COVID-19 infection due to severe pneumonia. The patient also had existing medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

Elderly people and those with underlying medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic lung disease and immunosuppression are vulnerable to COVID-19.

"We further urge those who are immunocompromised and are with existing health conditions to be more vigilant and avoid crowded areas and mass gatherings," Duque said.

A Chinese visitor from Wuhan, China—where the virus originated late last year—was the Philippines’ first fatality and the first COVID-19 death outside of mainland China.

The number of cases across the world has risen to more than 124,000 in more than 100 countries and territories with 4,500 deaths.

While situation in China has steadied, virus hotspots have emerged elsewhere: South Korea, Italy and Iran.

"We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

"We're deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction." — with report from Agence France-Presse