Philippines: First case of coronavirus 2019-nCoV confirmed January 30 /update 1

First case of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) confirmed in the Philippines January 30; further spread of the virus likely over the near term
Read all related news alert(s):
Philippines: Authorities extend COVID-19 restriction through December 31 /update 39
Philippines: Authorities extend COVID-19 restrictions through November 30 /update 38
Philippines: Authorities extend partial COVID-19 restrictions in Manila until October 31 /update 37
Philippines: Authorities tighten restrictions in Iloilo City until October 9 /update 36
Philippines: Metro Manila to remain under general community quarantine until September 30 /update 35
Philippines: Over 200,000 COVID-19 cases confirmed as of August 28 /update 34
Philippines: Authorities to impose stricter lockdown in Metro Manila and surrounding areas from August 4 /update 33
Philippines: Over 100,000 COVID-19 cases confirmed as of August 2 /update 32
Philippines: Authorities tighten lockdown measures in Lipa from August 1 /update 31
Philippines: Authorities extend restrictions in Manila and other areas until August 15 /update 30
Philippines: Partial reopening of certain businesses as of August 1 /update 29
Philippines: New measures to be introduced at Francisco Bangoy International Airport from July 20 amid COVID-19 outbreak /update 28
Philippines: Authorities impose two-week lockdown in Navotas July 16 /update 27
Philippines: Authorities record largest daily rise in COVID-19 deaths July 13 /update 26
Philippines: Authorities lift ban on non-essential travel abroad July 7 /update 25
Philippines: Authorities extend GCQ and lockdown in Manila and Cebu City until July 15 /update 24
Philippines: Authorities extend COVID-19 restrictions on June 16 /update 23
Philippines: Philippine Airlines to resume flights from June 1 with restrictions /update 21
Philippines: Aviation authorities announce flights will remain canceled through May 31 /update 20
Philippines: Modified enhanced community quarantine to be imposed in high risk areas from May 16 /update 19
Philippines: Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) to resume international flight arrivals from May 11 /update 18
Philippines: Airports close to all commercial flights May 3 /update 17
Philippines: Airlines extend flight suspensions through mid-May /update 16
Philippines: Enhanced quarantine measures extended until May 15 /update 15
Philippines: Cebu City (Cebu province) authorities extend COVID-19 lockdown until May 15 /update 14
Philippines: Rizal province enters lockdown April 6 /update 13
Philippines: Lockdown on Luzon extended to April 30 /update 12
Philippines: Additional restrictions implemented on Luzon Island March 16 /update 11
Philippines: Curfews imposed throughout National Capital Region amid COVID-19 outbreak as of March 15 /update 10
Philippines: Authorities to lock down Manila amid COVID-19 outbreak March 12 /update 9
Philippines: President declares public health emergency due to coronavirus March 8 /update 8
Philippines: Government implements travel restrictions for South Korea February 26 /update 7
Philippines: Government eases travel restrictions February 21 /update 6
Philippines: Philippines lifts Taiwan travel ban February 14 /update 5
Philippines: Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines suspend flights to Taiwan from February 11 /update 4
Philippines: Airlines cancel flights to China, Hong Kong, and Macau February 3 /update 3
Event
On Thursday, January 30, health officials announced the first confirmed case of coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The 38-year-old woman recently traveled from Wuhan (Hubei province, China), where the virus originated.
The commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration announced on Tuesday, January 28, that it will temporarily suspend issuing tourist visas on arrival for Chinese nationals. According to the commissioner, the measure was introduced to reduce travel and potentially prevent the spread of the ongoing coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak into the country. It is unclear how long the new measure will remain in place. As of Tuesday, direct flights from Wuhan to the Philippines have been suspended by the Civil Aeronautics Board.
The World Health Organization's Emergency Committee is scheduled to reconvene on Thursday to discuss whether 2019-nCoV constitutes a global emergency.
Further spread of the virus is to be expected over the near term.
Context
The first case of 2019-nCoV was reported on December 31 and the source of the outbreak has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan. Human-to-human and patient-to-medical staff transmission of the virus have been confirmed. Many of the associated fatalities have been due to pneumonia caused by the virus.
As of January 30, cases of the virus have been confirmed in Australia, Canada, Cambodia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Macau, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, the US, and Vietnam. Human-to-human transmission has been confirmed in Germany, Vietnam, and Japan. Virus screening and quarantining measures are being implemented at airports worldwide, as well as extensive travel restrictions.
Pneumonia symptoms include dry cough, chest pain, fever, and labored breathing. Pneumonia can be contagious and can be transmitted from human to human. The influenza virus, or the flu, is a common cause of viral pneumonia.
Advice
Individuals traveling to the Philippines are advised to confirm visa requirements, keep abreast of the situation, and to contact their nearest embassy for further details.
Individuals are advised to take precautionary measures to reduce their risk of contracting the virus:
- Avoid all contact with animals (dead or alive); avoid eating animal products that are undercooked; avoid all markets where animals are sold
- Avoid all close contact with people displaying symptoms of the disease (e.g. difficulties breathing)
- Frequently wash hands and wear a face mask
- Adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities and their home governments
- Travelers returning from China developing symptoms of pneumonia are advised to call emergency services before going to the doctor or hospital to avoid spread of the disease.
Copyright and Disclaimer
GardaWorld is the owner or licensee of all intellectual property rights in the material presented on this website. All such rights are reserved.
The use of this website and its material is subject to the Terms of Use and accordingly you must not use any content from this website for commercial or other analogous purposes without our consent,
including but not limited to any deep-linking or framing in order to copy, distribute, display or monitor any portion of the website.
If you have any questions or are interested in distributing any content from this website, Contact us for more details.