Gov’t exerts all efforts as Covid-19 cases rise

MANILA — The Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases have intensified efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as four new cases were confirmed Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 10.

“I call on the public to continue to be vigilant and practice personal preventive measures such as proper hand hygiene, social distancing, and cough etiquette. In the meantime, let us refrain from visiting public places and/or attending mass gatherings. DOH is exhausting all its efforts to contain the spread COVID-19,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said in a press release.

The DOH said while samples from all the new confirmed cases were tested on Saturday and all results were released Sunday, the department is currently investigating all the cases and gathering patients’ information from respective hospitals.

The DOH said it is also currently in coordination with concerned local government units and the Centers for Health Development for localized response and implementation of infection prevention and control measures.

The seventh case is

a 38-year-old Taiwanese male, with a history of contact with a Taiwanese foreign national who visited the Philippines and tested positive for COVID-19 in Taiwan.

The patient, the DOH said, has no history of travel outside of the country and his symptoms started last March 3.

He is currently admitted to a private hospital.

The eighth case is a 32-year-old Filipino male with history of travel to Japan within the past 14 days.

The DOH said the onset of symptoms began on March 5 and the patient is currently admitted to a private hospital.

The ninth case, meanwhile, is an 86-year-old American male with preexisting hypertension and history of travel to USA and South Korea.

His symptoms began on March 1 and the patient is currently admitted to a private hospital.

The tenth case is a 57-year-old Filipino male with no history of travel outside of the country.

While he was reported to have had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case, the DOH is currently investigating details of his exposure.

The patient is currently admitted in a private hospital.

The DOH Epidemiology Bureau is gathering more information and validating available data on the reported cases.

The DOH said it will release all pertinent information to the public once it is available.

“The DOH is committed to accurate and timely reporting of verified information on the COVID-19 health situation. We have been preparing for the possibility of localized transmission in the country. Now that there are confirmed cases of localized transmission, DOH and the Interagency Task Force are now implementing pre-planned measures to respond to the situation,” Duque said.

“Upon confirmation of new cases, we immediately deployed additional surveillance teams and commenced contact tracing,” he added.