Two more Filipino repatriates from Japan were transferred to a hospital after exhibiting symptoms of respiratory illness while under quarantine at the New Clark City in Tarlac, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday.
“There are two more repatriates who were brought to our facility because of sore throat. Their specimens were collected and sent for testing at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said during a press briefing.
This brings to five the total number of symptomatic repatriates among the 445 Filipinos who arrived in the Philippines earlier this week.
The five were all from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-hit Japanese cruise ship M/V Diamond Princess.
Last Thursday, three repatriates from Japan were brought to a hospital in Central Luzon for having sore throat and cough.
Two of the repatriates already tested negative for COVID-19. The other one is still waiting for laboratory test results.
Duque said that should any of the repatriates test positive for the virus, the case will be considered an imported one and will not be counted as a case of local transmission.
Despite the manifestation of symptoms among the Filipinos under quarantine, Duque said there will be no changes in the protocol that is being observed inside the Athletes’ Village.
On the other hand, eight out of the 80 Filipinos who tested positive for COVID-19 in Japan have already returned to the Philippines after recovering from the disease, according to Duque.
The eight will not be required to undergo quarantine but will still be strictly monitored by the DOH, he added./Stacy Ang
