Philippines’ first novel coronavirus case flew Cebu Pacific, PAL —DOH

The country's first confirmed case of novel coronavirus infection was on flights of both Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific, Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo has said.

According to a report on "State of the Nation with Jessica Soho", the 38-year-old Chinese woman from Wuhan flew into Cebu from Hong Kong on board a Cebu Pacific flight.

The patient was also on a Cebu Pacific flight from Cebu to Dumaguete.

She then flew to Manila on a PAL flight from Dumaguete.

The Department of Health is continuing its contact tracing or the process identifying the persons with whom the patient came into contact.

The DOH on Thursday afternoon confirmed the first nCoV case in the Philippines.

At a press briefing, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the Chinese woman arrived in the Philippines on January 21.

On January 25, she was admitted to one of the country's government hospitals after experiencing a mild cough.

The woman is asymptomatic, meaning she does not display symptoms suggesting the illness, according to Duque.

She is currently at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila.

According to Duque, there are currently 29 persons under investigation for possible nCoV infection nationwide. 23 are still admitted while five have been released but are under strict monitoring.

Meanwhile, one person under investigation has died in the San Lazaro Hospital.

As of Thursday, the death toll in China due to the virus has increased to 170 while more than 7,700 infections have been confirmed. —NB, GMA News