DOH appeals: 'Wag makiagaw,' leave N95 mask supply for health workers

 The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday called on the public to stop hoarding face masks even after a confirmed
case of the new coronavirus in the country, as it emphasized that a shortage of supply will affect health workers and
other people who need it most. 

“We ask the public to be very, very judicious in the use of these materials,” Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo
said.

“The N95 mask, we want to reserve this for the health workers who are actually handling cases either PUIs [persons
under investigation] or confirmed positive cases. We ask everybody huwag nang makiagaw sa supplies d'yan dahil
ang nangangailangan talaga 'yong mga nangangalaga," the health department spokesman added. 

(They really need it. We ask everybody to not get supplies that health workers need more.)

Domingo said they are already working with suppliers to deliver much needed supplies to hospitals.

Malacañang, meanwhile, warned hoarders and profiteers of police action as it emphasized that taking advantage of
fear of the virus is illegal.

“They should not be adding prices to the regular price… That should be raided by the PNP (Philippine National
Police) if they are hoarding. That’s unlawful,” Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a phone interview.

Panelo added that face mask manufacturers should produce more to meet the demand.

Demand for N95 masks spiked after the eruption and heavy ashfall of Taal Volcano. Recently, even surgical masks
have become scarce as more Filipinos sought to protect themselves against the novel coronavirus, which originated
in Wuhan, China. 

DOH added it was already coordinating with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to set a price cap for face
masks.

More people started wearing face masks in public as the DOH confirmed on Thursday the first case of 2019-nCoV
ARD in the Philippines — a 38-year-old female tourist from China.

But Domingo reminded the public that wearing face masks was not necessary for those who are healthy. 

“The surgical masks can be used by the public in certain occasions. Not everybody needs to wear a mask every time.
Unless of course you feel you are high risk for illness,” he said.

Domingo said people can use it if they are in a very congested area and are exposed to sick people. 

“It is also useful if you are the one with an illness,” he added. At the same time, he reminded the public that a face
mask will be useless if they don’t practice proper hand washing and other hygienic practices.

As of Friday, there are 31 “patients under investigation” or those who traveled to Wuhan, China, where the disease
was first detected and showed symptoms of the new coronavirus.
Groups decry racism against Chinese amid coronavirus outbreak
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 1) — A few organizations have urged the public to refrain from
being discriminatory, particularly against Chinese nationals amid the global spread of the novel coronavirus
(2019-nCoV), which began in China.

The Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) on Saturday
discouraged Filipinos from adding to racist messages following the news of the virus.

"Let us not join some misinformed people in their unfair anti-China racist stereotypes and xenophobic attacks,
because this important Asian neighbor is the Philippines’ traditional ally and longstanding trade partner for over
1,000 uninterrupted years," said Henry Lim Bon Liong, FFCCCII President, in a statement.

Instead, Liong said people should commend China and its government for its transparency, "remarkable
political will" and sacrifice during this health crisis. The public should also give moral support to the East Asian
nation, Liong added.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) also denounced "blatant racism" and discrimination
particularly by Adamson University.

University President Fr. Marcelo Maimtim on Friday issued a memorandum requiring Chinese students to
undergo self-quarantine until February 14 as one of its precautionary measures. He also advised them to
postpone all transactions in the school until the said date.

“This action is highly inappropriate in our civilizing and maturing Filipino educational system and values,” said
Raymond Mendoza, TUCP president and TUCP Party-list Rep.

The TUCP added that "Whether Chinese or Filipino, now is the time for all people and all nations to stand
together as one to protect all human life."

On Saturday, after earning the ire of netizens over the memorandum, Maimtim released a clarification, now
saying all students, staff and stakeholders who have traveled to countries with confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV
within the previous month, must go through self-quarantine.

"This Memorandum modifies the previous released, and we apologized for the misimpression it may have
created," said Maimtim.

The Health Department on Thursday announced the first confirmed case of 2019-nCoV in the country — a 38-
year-old Chinese woman who came from Wuhan. Wuhan is the Chinese city which sits at the center of the
outbreak.

President Rodrigo Duterte has since issued a temporary travel ban to stop the entry of visitors from China's
Hubei province, where Wuhan is located.

Several airline companies have also suspended flights going to and from Chinese cities.

Meanwhile, other Metro Manila schools also announced measures to further prevent the spread of the virus,
which has already killed more than 250 people from mainland China and sickened nearly 12,000 others all over
the world.

WHO satisfied with PH gov’t response vs. nCoV

MANILA -- Amid criticism over the Philippine government’s efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus
(2019-nCoV) across the country, the World Health Organization (WHO) thinks the government is doing a good job
responding to the “evolving situation.”

“We are satisfied so far with the measures being implemented by the government of the Philippines,” Dr. Rabindra
Abeyasinghe, WHO Representatives in the Philippines, said in a Laging Handa press briefing in Malacañang on
Monday.

“WHO commends their [sic] actions taken by the Philippine Government to strengthen its preparedness, to build
capacity to detect cases,” he added.

On January 29, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III bared that the Philippines has its own capability to detect
2019-nCoV within 48 hours.

Duque said the Japanese counterpart of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) gave the RNA
(ribonucleic acid) primer to be used for confirmatory testing of the virus.

With this development, the turnaround time will be cut by 50 percent since the acquisition of the primer would
eliminate the need to consult Australian experts.

Abeyasinghe explained the Philippine government has been implementing the “most stringent measures” in relation
to the relative risk and the pattern of movement of people going in and out of the country.

“I believe that the Philippine government has been responding to an evolving situation,” Abeyasinghe said.

“With the emergency of disease and the emergence of more information, the government response has been
proactively strengthened,” he added.

He assured that the Philippine government is working very closely with the WHO as new evidence emerges and
after the nCoV outbreak was declared as a public health emergency of international concern.

“WHO continues to work together with the Department of Health (DOH)–Philippines and the Philippine Government
to increase its preparedness and response capacities to deal with this outbreak,” Abeyasinghe said.

“We continue to work with them to increase their preparedness in case there is evidence of local transmission,” he
added.

Currently, he said there are no reports of any confirmed local transmission.

He also expressed confidence that the outbreak can be controlled and prevented from spreading across the
country.

“WHO is confident that at this point of time, there is no community spread of the disease as per evidence that is
currently available within the Philippines,” Abeyasinghe said.

He also reiterated that the two confirmed 2019-nCoV cases that have been reported in the Philippines were both
from travelers who originated from Wuhan and traveled with early signs of the disease.

Possible nCoV treatment

Following a report made by Thailand's health ministry that a Chinese woman infected with the virus showed a
dramatic improvement after being treated with a cocktail of anti-virals used to treat flu and HIV, Abeyasinghe pointed
out that the improvement of one patient “does not constitute evidence.”
“WHO will work more closely with the authorities in Thailand, but also we are continuing to work with the authorities
in China and with other research institutions to build evidence of what practices should be adopted by affected
countries to improve case management, to prevent of the transmission and no sooner there is clear evidence of
what works, WHO will share that,” he said.

In the meantime, he said the WHO has shared interim guidance with member-states on how to prevent and control
infection, how to manage cases and how to do diagnosis of suspected patients through laboratory testing.

“We need to recognize that this is an evolving situation, it’s a new disease and WHO remains committed to working
together with the global research community to generate that evidence and share it with Member States when
available,” he added.

No need for masks

Since there is no community transmission of 2019-nCoV, RITM Director Dr. Celia Carlos said the institute is not
recommending the use of surgical face masks to general public who do not have respiratory symptoms.

However, she reiterated the importance of taking precautionary measures such as the washing of hands, avoiding
close contact with anyone with flu-like symptoms or colds, and avoiding unprotected contact with live, wild or farm
animals.

Returning Filipinos coming from China and its special administrative regions namely Hong Kong and Macau without
symptoms of 2019-nCoV are required to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine in their own homes.

Meanwhile, those experiencing symptoms were asked to seek immediate medical treatment.

Those under self-quarantine will also be monitored by barangay health personnel until the quarantine period ends,
according to Interior Secretary Eduardo Año.

Earlier, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana bared that the DOH is eyeing the drug rehabilitation center in Fort
Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija as possible quarantine area for Filipino workers returning from Wuhan, China.

Fort Magsaysay can accommodate up to 10,000 people, the DOH said.

On Saturday, the country’s second 2019-nCoV patient, a 44-year-old Chinese male from Wuhan, China, died. He
was the first reported death due to the deadly virus outside of China.

He was the companion of the 38-year-old woman from Wuhan, China who was the first confirmed case of nCoV in
the country.

Carlos explained that the two 2019-nCoV cases were not tested and released at the same time because the
symptoms of the male patient, who was “not as ill” as his companion, progressed subsequently.

The 2019-nCoV, which originated in Wuhan in Hubei province, China, has infected over 17,000 people and killed
around 362 people.

It has been reported in 23 countries, several of those countries also reporting local transmission although most of
the cases have reported had a travel history to Wuhan. (PNA)
What Pinoys need to know about nCoV
MANILA --  As the number of cases and deaths due to novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV continues to rise, the
Department of Health (DOH) has met these reports with equally heightened monitoring of patients who have been
suffering from "flu-like" symptoms while visiting the country.

Apart from clinical tests on people suspected of carrying the virus, the DOH's Bureau of Quarantine has placed
thermal scanners at the airports for quick surveillance of potential cases.

As the government exerts effort to prevent the virus from entering the Philippines, ordinary Filipinos should arm
themselves of knowledge on how to do their part to protect themselves from being infected.

Origin

The World Health Organization (WHO) received reports of several cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan
City, China on Dec. 31, 2019. Wuhan City is considered as ground zero of the outbreak.

Initial investigation showed the virus which caused the pneumonia did not match any other known virus.

On January 7, Chinese authorities identified the new strain as 2019-nCoV belonging to a family of viruses that
include the common colds and the more serious ones — Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

To date, there are more than 830 confirmed 2019-nCoV cases and 26 deaths linked to the virus in China.

Symptoms

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most people get infected with coronaviruses
with symptoms ranging from typically mild to moderate and it can cause lower-respiratory tract illnesses like
pneumonia and bronchitis in some cases.

The CDC added such viruses are common among animals but can evolve and spread from animals to humans,
hence, the existence of SARS and MERS coronaviruses.

In a health advisory, the DOH said its symptoms include cough and colds, fever, difficulty in breathing and shortness
of breath.

Aside from pneumonia and bronchitis, the DOH said its symptoms could lead to kidney problems and even death.

No confirmed nCoV case in PH

DOH Undersecretary Rolando Domingo, in a media briefing on January 24, said: "There is no verified nCoV case in
the country until now".

The DOH said specimen samples from the five-year-old Chinese boy suspected of having the virus was tested
negative.

The test was performed at the Victorian Infectious Disease Reference Laboratory in Melbourne, Australia.

On Jan. 21, 2020, the DOH disclosed that the boy, manifesting pneumonia-like symptoms and with a history of
travel from Wuhan, China, was admitted in Cebu City for observation.

After yielding a positive result for the pancoronavirus assay, oropharyngeal and serum specimens from him were
sent to Australia for identification of the specific coronavirus strain.
Three other Chinese nationals, who arrived at the Kalibo International Airport and went to Boracay, were first
suspected to have the illness but turned out to be negative.

Another suspected case

Domingo said a 36-year-old American male from Tacloban is suspected of having contracted the virus but he has
not been clinically screened.

“Even the one in Tacloban is a suspected case of new coronavirus. Wala pa naman siyang positive test for the
pancoronavirus (He doesn't have a positive test result for the pancoronavirus yet)," he added.

Pancoronavirus screening is a test done on a person suspected of contracting a strain of coronavirus.

Prevention

Regular handwashing can prevent the spread of nCov, the DOH said in its health advisory.

"Iwasan and kontak sa mga hayop, umiwas sa mga may ubo at sipon at takpan ang bibig at ilong kapag umuubo at
bumabahing (Avoid contact with animals, avoid those who have cough and colds and to always cover one's mouth
and nose when coughing and sneezing)," it added.

The DOH also stressed the importance of drinking plenty of water, proper cooking of food, and consultation with a
health facility if symptoms of cough and colds persist, especially if they come from Wuhan, China.

Citing the outbreak of the virus in China, Domingo advised the public to temporarily suspend their travel to the
country.

“It might be prudent to delay the flight until the disease is completely understood and it is more contained,” he
added.

Not a public health emergency of int’l sconcern

In a statement, the WHO said the Wuhan nCoV "is not a public health emergency of international concern as its
emergency status is contained in China".

WHO defined a public health emergency of international concern as "an extraordinary event" constituting a "public
health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated
international response."

To keep the virus from spreading, the WHO recommended exit screening at airports as part of a comprehensive set
of containment measures, set up of mechanisms and measures to detect cases of coronavirus and reiteration on
hand hygiene and cough etiquette. (PNA)
 Kristine Sabillo, ABS-CBN News Posted at Jan 31 2020 03:35 PM | Updated as of Jan 31 2020 05:16 PM
 By Azer Parrocha  February 3, 2020, 6:17 pm (https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1092780)
 By Ma. Teresa Montemayor  January 25, 2020, 5:28 pm