The Philippine health officials have confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country.
A 38-year-old Chinese woman, who arrived in the country from Wuhan, China, on January 21, tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Health Secretary Francisco Duque told a news conference.
Duque said the patient, confined in a government hospital, is currently asymptomatic
The patient was known to have also travelled to the cities of Cebu and Dumaguete.
He said they would trace details of the woman’s flights and track passengers who were seated close to her.
Some 23 other individuals are under investigation for the virus and are still in hospital, while 5 have been discharged but are under strict monitoring, Duque said.
Another patient under investigation died on Wednesday, he said.
Meanwhile, India’s health ministry says it has detected its first case of the novel coronavirus in the southern state of Kerala. A student who had been studying at Wuhan University tested positive for the virus.
The ministry says in a statement that the student has been kept in isolation and is being monitored at a hospital. It’s not clear when the student returned to India from China.
Passengers who have travelled to China recently are being screened for symptoms in at least 20 Indian airports. The health ministry says that isolation wards have been identified in different hospitals across the country in order to prepare for a potential outbreak.
The Indian government said Wednesday that it is planning to operate two flights to evacuate Indians from Hubei in China and isolate them for 28 days in the Indian capital of New Delhi. The health ministry says that it was planning to airlift only those who don’t appear to have symptoms of the flu in order to minimize the risk of the infection spreading.
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