After Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III yesterday confirmed the first novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, case in the Philippines, DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Ferchito Avelino said they have requested the flight details of the patient, who is a Chinese national.
“We’re looking at the places they have been to in Cebu and Dumaguete as part of the contact tracing,” he noted. “Kung saan pumunta, tinitingnan na natin ‘yun (We will look into the places she visited).”
The DOH official added, once they retrieve the flight information, they apply the “Rule of Four.”
“We need to identify the four passengers in front, four passengers at the back, and four passengers at both sides,” Avelino explained. “We’ll contact these passengers and advise them accordingly.”
“For the community, we’re looking at the establishment where they stayed and [will] advise establishment owners to identify the employees that have been in contact with the patient and do the mandatory quarantine,” he added.
According to the most recent data from DOH, there are currently 29 individuals under investigation for nCoV, including three in the Western Visayas. Among the total cases, five have been discharged and are under “strict monitoring.”/WDJ