Manila - He was among the two confirmed cases of nCoV in Philippines.
Published: Sun 2 Feb 2020, 8:08 AM
Updated: Sun 2 Feb 2020, 8:54 PM
A man has become the first to die from the coronavirus, the World Health Organisation in Philippines confirmed on Sunday.
In a press conference held by the Philippines Department of Health, officials confirmed that two patients had tested positive for coronavirus, including a 44-year-old-man.
Also read: 304 dead from nCoV in China
As of Saturday, 24 patients under investigation had tested negative for 2019-nCoV.
The 44-year-old male was confirmed as the second person with the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease in the Philippines. He passed away on February 1, 2020.
Both confirmed cases are close contacts, and known residents of Wuhan, China.
The 44-year-old male experienced fever, cough and sore throat before being admitted at San Lazaro Hospital, Dr Rabi Abeyasinghe, WHO Representative in the Philippines said.
On January 30, the DOH confirmed a 30-year-old Chinese woman as the first nCoV case in the Philippines.
"This is the first reported case outside of China. However, we need to keep in mind that he came from Wuhan, China."
San Lazaro Hospital and the Department of Health assured that infection prevention and control measures are in place, including personal protective equipment to health workers.
DOH is also and rapidly identifying those who may have come into close contact with the cases.
Secretary Duque said there are mixed pathogens in the 44-year-old male including Streptococcus pneumoniae and viral influenza B.
Philippines to form task force to combat nCoV
The Department of Education (DepEd) said a "novel coronavirus task force" will be created to protect learners, teachers and its personnel against the deadly virus, also known as 2019-nCoV.
"It (task force) will have a policy component chaired by the Secretary, with the undersecretaries for field operations, administration, and legal as members," DepEd Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Nepomuceno Malaluan said in a statement on Saturday.
He said the task force's operational component, on the other hand, will be led by the School Health Division under the Bureau of Learner Support Services, working in partnership with Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service and the Public Affairs Service.
Malaluan added the first assignment of the task force is the preparation of an expanded advisory to all DepEd units.
"This will standardize guidelines and protocols on prevention, monitoring and response. We will use only official sources, primarily the Department of Health (DOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Once prepared, we will submit this to DOH for their concurrence, before issuance," he said.
To avoid contributing to confusion, panic or false information, Malaluan said the DepEd excercises "due care in its public pronouncements" with the guidance of the DOH.
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