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Philippines confirms first local coronavirus case

62-year-old Filipino has not recently been to countries where other cases have been reported
Philippines confirms first local coronavirus case

Airport personnel check the temperature of a passenger at Manila’s international airport. The Philippines confirmed its first local coronavirus case on March 6. (Photo: Romeo Gacad/AFP)  

Published: March 06, 2020 08:56 AM GMT
Updated: March 06, 2020 09:00 AM GMT

The Philippines’ Department of Health has confirmed the country has recorded its first coronavirus case in which a Filipino contracted the deadly disease locally, according to news reports  

A 62-year-old Filipino man believed not to have recently been in other countries with confirmed Covid-19 cases has tested positive for the disease, CNN Philippines reported department officials as saying on March 6.

"It can be considered as a local case ... The absence of travel is a clear indication that this is a local case," Health Secretary Francisco Duque told reporters at a media briefing.

He said it was too early to say whether the case marked the start of the virus spreading within communities.

Fever, cough, a runny nose, sore throat and breathing difficulties are some of the most common symptoms of the virus.

"There is no transmission to speak of as of yet because we only have one. We are doing contact tracing to establish whether or not there are other cases or clustering of cases. But now it's premature to say there is a local transmission," Duque said. “We can still contain the spread of the virus in the country.” 

He said the infected man, who was admitted to a Manila hospital with pneumonia on March 1, had pre-existing health issues and was suffering from diabetes and hypertension. He went to a hospital after starting coughing on Feb. 25, the health chief added.

Confirmation he had the highly contagious virus came on March 5, making him the fifth confirmed case in the Philippines.

Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergerie said a relative of the man had displayed flu-like symptoms and was also under quarantine in a hospital, local news reports said.

A Muslim prayer hall in the San Juan City area of the Philippine capital was being investigated after it emerged the infected man, a local resident, was a frequent visitor, CNN said.

Meanwhile, a second new coronavirus case confirmed in the Philippines on March 6 was that of a 48-year-old Filipino man who had recently returned from a trip to Japan. He also tested positive on March 5, Duque said. 

The total number of coronavirus cases in the Philippines now stands at five, with one death.

More than 98,000 cases have been confirmed worldwide with about 3,390 recorded deaths.

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