The Department of Health (DOH) today announced another 10 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, bringing the overall total to 20 from just three a few days ago.
In a press conference today, Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the results were based on samples collected from March 6 to 8, and officials are now tracking down anyone with whom the 10 new cases may have come into contact, GMA News reports.
Read: Health Department confirms 4 new COVID-19 cases, Qatar bans travelers from PH
The 10 new cases are all Filipinos, and while some have no history of overseas travel, one had recently traveled to the United Arab Emirates, another traveled to Australia, another to Taiwan, and another to Japan. Most were admitted to private hospitals, such as the Makati Medical Center (four patients) and Tricity Medical Center (two patients) in Pasig City, while one was admitted to the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa. Vergeire added that while DOH will give the media information as to where the patients are hospitalized, they are leaving it to local mayors to divulge where they reside.
Meanwhile, authorities have so far identified 468 people who came into contact with cases four through 10 (or PH4 through PH10, as health officials have taken to numbering them), of whom 113 have been tested for possible infection, reports ABS-CBN News. Of those, 107 have been placed under home quarantine, while six have been classified as persons under investigation and have been placed in different hospitals for monitoring.
At present, the DOH only has 2,000 coronavirus test kits, and is waiting for the World Health Organization to donate 1,000 more.
