Two PUIs in Bacolod City

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Dr.Grace Tan of the Bacolod City Health Office on Monday confirmed that two Persons Under Investigation (PUI) are in isolation at the Dona Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMMRH) for suspected 2019-novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (nCoV-ARD).

But Tan reiterated that “as of the moment there is no confirmed nCoV case in the city.”

Tan, the designated spokesperson of the Inter-Agency Task Group created by Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia to focus on nCoV-ARD, said one PUI is a Canadian national married to a Filipina who came from Taiwan and was admitted to the CLMMRH Friday after showing symptoms of flu.

The other is a Filipino male who recently arrived here from Hong Kong and was admitted to CLMMRH last Saturday. He also showed symptoms of flu and fever.

Both are not from Bacolod City, Tan said.

Tan again called on the public to avoid panicking and be vigilant.

She also appealed to the public not to withhold information, especially if one has a history of travel to China, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other countries with nCoV-ARD cases.

Persons who traveled to these places with flu-like symptoms should immediately go to the hospital for a check-up and swab tests.

Tan said that if the information is withheld, it would be difficult to contain the infection.

Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, who met with provincial government health officials on Monday, again urged the public to be calm and continue with their normal routine.

Lacson also emphasized that “there is no confirmed case yet of the virus in the province.”

Lacson also ordered all local government units in the province to form their respective task forces against nCoV as a second meeting will take place today to finalize their steps against the virus.

The Department of Health (DOH) had announced on Sunday that there are two confirmed nCoV cases in the country, with one fatality.