The Department of Health-Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit XI (RESU XI) has not monitored any cases of the new coronavirus strain called 2019-nCoV.
Also called the Wuhan virus since it was discovered in Wuhan, China, the 2019-nCoV bears the same characteristics of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-CoV.
However, the new strains seems to be less deadlier compared to the two viruses, even if the patients exhibit the same symptoms.
Councilor Mary Joselle Villafuerte, in her privilege speech on Tuesday’s regular session, said that RESU XI already alerted the Bureau of Quarantine XI for strict monitoring and surveillance of arriving passengers at the Davao International Airport.
The 2019-nCoV originated from the seafood market in Wuhan and spread through limited human contact.
There are already more than 400 cases of the Wuhan virus worldwide with at least nine people dead in China.
In the Philippines, there is a suspected case involving a 5-year-old Chinese boy who arrived in Cebu City from Wuhan, China. It is still under investigation and the test results are expected to come out on Thursday.
