The Philippines confirmed Friday 2 more cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total confirmed coronavirus cases to 5.
The country’s fourth coronavirus case is a 48-year-old male Filipino who traveled to Japan. He returned to the Philippines last Feb. 25, experienced fever and chills starting March 3; and tested positive for the pathogen 2 days after, said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
The patient is “stable” and is currently admitted at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
The fifth confirmed case is a 52-year-old male Filipino with known hypertension and diabetes. He experienced coughs last Feb. 25 and was later admitted at a Manila hospital on March 1 with severe pneumonia, said Duque.
The patient “has no known history of travel outside the country” and regularly visited a Muslim prayer hall in San Juan, said the Secretary.
Authorities are tracing and collecting samples from those who had close contact with the 2 patients, said Duque.
The health department earlier confirmed 3 other cases of the novel coronavirus, including 1 death, which were all from Wuhan City in central China where the pathogen first emerged late last year.
This news is lifted from ABS-CBN News.
Photo: Ted Aljibe/AFP