The Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital in Dumaguete City. (File photo)
DUMAGUETE CITY – Three more persons under investigation (PUIs) in Negros Oriental have tested negative of the novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV ARD).
The three comprise the final batch of the eight PUIs in the province to yield negative results of the coronavirus test, with no new PUIs reported, said Bimbo Miraflor, Capitol Public Information Officer and spokesperson on the nCoV, in a press briefing Monday afternoon at the Provincial Health Office here.
The latest results from throat swab tests done by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) arrived Monday morning, after the release of results on Thursday and Sunday.
All eight are Filipinos and had developed flu-like symptoms such as cough, cold, and sore throat, after coming into close contact with the two Chinese tourists here last month who were later found to be positive of the novel coronavirus. One of the two foreigners died and became the first nCoV fatality outside China.
Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion advised the people to not let their guards down against the dreaded novel coronavirus as they are still awaiting the results of the second round of swab test on the eight PUIs from the RITM.
She said the second round of test is just confirmatory to make certain that the PUIs do not carry the deadly virus, considering that the first two 2019 n-CoV cases in the Philippines – a Chinese male and a Chinese female – had visited Negros Oriental from January 22 to 25.
“Until then, we cannot discharge these people from the hospital, but we are awaiting the next results from the RITM, which should be hopefully any time this week,” Estacion said.
The patients, who have been in isolation at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH), are doing well, healthier than ever, and no longer have respiratory symptoms, she added.
No other PUIs have been reported in the province after the Department of Health, in coordination with local health authorities, launched a massive contact tracing of people with whom the two Chinese nCoV patients had come in contact with.
Also, as of the latest count, the province now only has three persons under monitoring (PUMs), a huge drop from 78 over the weekend, Miraflor said.
The three include a Polish and two Chinese nationals, who have had travel history to Hong Kong and China, respectively.
Miraflor said all the other PUMs had completed their respective 14-day quarantine period and were already dropped from the list.
The good news about all PUIs testing negative of the coronavirus has brought the residents much relief and hope that Negros Oriental will be declared nCoV-free and that there will be no local cases of the viral disease, which outbreak started in Wuhan, China and has spread globally.
But Estacion said it is only the DOH that can declare any locality as 2019 n-CoV ARD-free.
Miraflor also said that they will continue with their surveillance and monitoring activities, particularly at the airport and seaports, especially keeping an eye on travelers who have come from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao and other countries with reported nCoV cases.
Both officials are hoping that with strengthened measures in place, there will finally be an end to having to deal with suspect nCoV cases in the province. (PNA)
