Wikipedia map of Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya -- A mother and her daughter, who arrived from Hong Kong for a vacation over the weekend, have been placed in an isolation room of a hospital here and kept under watch after showing symptoms associated with the 2019-nCoV virus.
Dr. Danilo Alejandro, officer-in-charge of Region 2 Trauma and Medical Center (formerly Veterans Regional Hospital), said Thursday that the mother and her daughter, whose names were withheld, have been manifesting symptoms like high fever, flu, and vomiting.
The two women will remain at the isolation room while a series of checkups and monitoring on their conditions are ongoing, he added. He prayed that laboratory tests on the two will yield negative results.
Alejandro, in a statement, clarified, however, that there are no confirmed nCoV cases yet “but we are closely monitoring patients who suffer extraordinary illnesses especially those who came from China and other countries with nCoV cases.”
He urged residents here to remain vigilant and not to be frightened.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH)-Cagayan Valley Center for Health and Development here has closely monitored operations at the three airports in the region and at the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC) against the virus.
The region has three operational airports -- the Cauayan City Domestic Airport in Cauayan City, Isabela; Tuguegarao Domestic Airport in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan; and the Cagayan North International Airport (CNIA) in Lal-lo, Cagayan.
DOH Regional Director Rio Magpantay, together with personnel from the Bureau of Quarantine and Aviation Security Unit of the Philippine National Police, led an inspection of the Tuguegarao City airport on Wednesday.
Magpantay said the teams studied the flow of passengers arriving at the airport and identified the strategic position of possible areas for quarantine.
An ambulance was put on standby to transport suspected cases for treatment.
Dr. Glenn Matthew Baggao, Cagayan Valley Medical Center chief, said they convened the Infection Control Committee to check on the preparedness measures of the hospital should there be a suspected nCoV patient. He assured that a standby ambulance and isolation and intensive care unit rooms have been readied.
Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba ordered Dr. Carlos Cortina of the Provincial Health Office to work closely with DOH and officials of the two airports in the province to safeguard the populace against nCoV.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) said “the region still and remains a safe destination for tourists and travelers” following the confirmation of the DOH that there are no existing cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus in the region.
Due to entries of Chinese nationals in the region particularly at CNIA, the DOT has advised the public to take extra-precautionary measures against the virus.
The PHO here and the DOH assured that proper measures are being observed at the CNIA and monitoring activities are ongoing in Sta. Ana town where Chinese nationals frequently visit.
Dr. Carlos Cortina, Cagayan provincial health officer, said they have coordinated with the municipal health officers of Lal-lo and Santa Ana towns for precautionary measures to be undertaken to ensure that people who are possible carriers of the novel coronavirus will be prevented from spreading it.
He said there are quarantine officers from the DOH at the airport who will facilitate the inspection and monitoring, especially of passengers coming from Wuhan, China where the virus originated. (PNA)
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