TACLOBAN CITY –– The 36-year-old American tourist, who was suspected to be infected with the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCov), was discharged from the hospital on Saturday.
The patient, who came from Wuhan City in China, was released following the lapse of the 14-day incubation period, and after he no longer exhibited any symptoms of the virus.
A private vehicle fetched the American from the facility about 3 p.m. on Feb. 1.
“He was discharged from the hospital because he was no longer sick,” said the source from the Department of Health (DOH), who declined to be identified for lack of authority to issue statements.
“He was very happy that he was discharged. When he was first brought to the hospital, he was so angry, which was understandable, because he was here supposedly for a vacation,” the source said.
The DOH in Eastern Visayas will hold a news conference on Monday to announce the release of the American from the hospital.
The source said the DOH regional office wanted to wait for the release of the test conducted on the patient to determine if he was infected with nCov.
“But the result would now be immaterial considering that he was no longer sick. He could no longer spread any virus to the community. He is no longer a risk to the community,” the source added.
The patient, who is a professor in Wuhan City, China, arrived in Tacloban City on Jan. 16 to visit his girlfriend and her family.
But he was brought to a government hospital the next day when he developed a fever and was coughing./lzb