First lethal case outside China: WHO confirms death of coronavirus patient in the Philippines
A man passed away in the Philippines after testing positive for coronavirus, with his death becoming the first lethal case of the outbreak outside China. The deceased recently came back from Wuhan, the center of the crisis.
The 44-year-old man died on Saturday after losing his battle with the deadly virus, that claimed the lives of 304 people in China. The man, a resident of Wuhan, was admitted to a local hospital after displaying flu-like symptoms such as cough and sore throat, the WHO said.
A 44-year-old male is confirmed as the second person with the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (2019-nCoV) in the Philippines. He passed away on 1 February 2020. pic.twitter.com/5a5tPWtvpc
— World Health Organization Philippines (@WHOPhilippines) February 2, 2020
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The man’s case was the second confirmed case of the virus in the Philippines, with first being his close contact who had also travelled from Wuhan.
The hospital, where the man was treated, and local healthcare officials said that all “infection prevention and control measures” have been in place to prevent the further spread of the novel virus.
The Philippines’ Department of Health said that officials have medical officials have been in the process of “identifying those who may have come into close contact with the cases.”
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First lethal case outside China: WHO confirms death of coronavirus patient in the Philippines