Philippines confirms first case of novel coronavirus

The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed a Chinese tourist has tested positive of the new coronavirus.

The Chinese national is a 38-year old female from Wuhan who travelled to the Philippines via Hong Kong. DOH confirms she arrived in the country on January 21st.

They say the patient is asymptomatic, which means she hasn’t shown symptoms of the virus except for mild coughing which she immediately consulted with a doctor. She is currently being treated at San Lazaro Hospital in Manila.

DOH confirmed that there are a total of 29 people being investigated of the new coronavirus. Although the government has not issued any travel bans to all arriving flights from China, DOH says they will recommend the task force to ban entry of travellers from Hubei, China.

Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and others have initiated in cancelling some flights to Chinese cities.

For now, DOH is working on tracking down other passengers who have taken the same flight with the first coronavirus patient to check if others may have been infected.