Health office told to closely monitor new coronavirus

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Mayor Evelio Leonardia ordered the City Health Office (CHO) to closely monitor and intensify the surveillance against the new coronavirus which has already been reported in China, South Korean, Japan, and Thailand.

Leonardia said the CHO should take measures to prevent the virus from spreading here.

He also said the issue has become a worldwide concern as the number of cases in China increase.

With the upcoming Chinese New Year, millions of people are at risk if not properly checked, the mayor said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III revealed that a five-year-old who arrived in Cebu from Wuhan, China had tested positive for coronavirus but it remains unknown if it was the new strain that is spreading in China.

The child was confined at a hospital in Cebu City and was placed under close surveillance, while the samples were sent to Australia for further confirmation and analysis.

Coronaviruses belong to a large family of viruses that cause the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), according to the World Health Organization.