Philippines Confirms 1st Case of Novel Coronavirus

Philippine Department of Health announced that a 38-year-old female Chinese national who traveled to the Philippines from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus outbreak originated tested positive for the virus.

Duque told a press conference that the woman arrived in the Philippines from Wuhan, China, via Hong Kong on January 21, Xinhua news agency reported.

‘Some of the common symptoms of a 2019-nCoV infection are headache and runny nose, cough or sore throat, weakness, and muscle pain. It may also cause high fever, trouble breathing, pneumonia, sepsis, and even death. ’

The patient was admitted to a government hospital on January 25 after experiencing a mild cough, he said.

"She is currently asymptomatic, which means she has no fever and no other signs and symptoms suggesting illness at this point," Duque added.

He said the Department of Health "continues to guarantee the public that all necessary precautionary measures are being taken to hold the spread of the virus."

The Chinese woman is among the 23 "persons under investigation" (PUIs) or patients, mostly Chinese nationals, in Metro Manila, central Philippines, and northern Mindanao in the southern Philippines.

Source: IANS