DOH monitors 12 persons in Eastern Visayas for Wuhan coronavirus

The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) is closely monitoring at least 12 persons in Easter Visayas who had in close contact with the five-year-old boy from Wuhan, China, who could have new coronavirus.

The boy arrived at Cebu City on January 12and tested positive for a “non-specific pancoronavirus.”

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DOH-7 Director Jaime Bernadas said those people were not isolated since they did not show symptoms of the SARS-like virus.

However, they were being monitored as of now.

DOH, meanwhile, isolated the boy and his mother in a Cebu City hospital. The mother, though, was in good condition has not shown signs of illness as of Wednesday, January 22.

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“What we are doing now is just monitoring (the 12 people), and these have already been identified as those who are in the hospitals and some health workers. So far, for the 12 people, none have manifested symptoms,” said Bernadas in an interview.

DOH monitors 12 persons in Eastern Visayas for Wuhan coronavirus

The boy, as of now, is stable and was not feverish. However, Bernadas refused to disclose the hospital where the isolated patients were admitted to prevent panic.

Bernadas thermal scanners at Mactan Cebu International Airport detected that the boy had a fever when he arrived. Health officials immediately put the mother and child into isolation.

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DOH found that the two are on tourist visas, and the boy was supposed to study in an English school in Cebu.

Though the boy tested positive of coronavirus, it is not yet determined which strain infected him. DOH already sent samples to Australia to identify the strain and to know if the new China coronavirus already entered the country.

Bernadas said the boy and her mother wanted to go back to China,, but authorities refrained them from traveling until the test results are released.