The Taiwan Center for Disease Control (CDC) said Thursday night its 44th case of COVID-19 had a travel history to the Philippines.
The patient was a 30-year-old male who tested positive of the new coronavirus on Thursday. He recently traveled to the Philippines with his friends from February 28 to March 3.
Health authorities did not reveal the patient’s identity but said he lives in northern Taiwan.
“Related investigation suggested it is an imported case linked to the Philippines,” Taiwan CDC’s Central Epidemic Command Center said in an advisory on Thursday.
Taiwan CDC reports said Patient 44 had diarrhea in the Philippines on Monday, March 2. When he returned to Taiwan on Tuesday, March 3, he went to a clinic after experiencing dry throat and “tiredness.”
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Man in Taiwan positive of COVID-19 after traveling to Philippines
After his check-up, the patient went to a hospital and was later reported as a suspected case on Wednesday, March 4. Laboratory test results released on Thursday, March 5, then confirmed that the new coronavirus infected him.
As of today, Taiwan has reported a total of 44 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one death.
Meanwhile, the Australian government reported yesterday that an elderly woman tested positive of coronavirus after traveling to the Philippines.
The patient, in her 60s, is among the new 6 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in New South Wales (NSW), bringing the number of infected in Australia’s southeastern state to 22.
The Philippines maintains a single-digit number of coronavirus confirmed cases. All of the three cases were all Chinese tourists. The two already recovered and left the country while one died, who was also the first COVID-19 death outside China.