Only 171 PUIs remain admitted in Philippine hospitals —DOH

The number of persons under investigation (PUI) for possible coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who are still admitted in various hospitals in the country is down to 171, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday.

During a press briefing in Manila, Health Assistant Secretary Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire said that 350 others have already been discharged—including the two confirmed cases who managed to recover and the other who died after testing positive for the virus.

The decrease in the number of confined PUIs can be attributed to the better surveillance system and case management of the DOH amid the COVID-19 threat, she added.

Out of the cumulative total of 521 suspected cases that were reported in the Philippines, three tested positive, 453 tested negative, 22 are still awaiting laboratory test results, while the remaining others have yet to submit specimens.

The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) currently leads the testing of samples from the suspected cases.

To keep up with the surge of specimens to be probed, five subnational laboratories across the country, along with some big hospitals in Metro Manila, are expected to also run confirmatory tests for COVID-19 in the next two weeks, according to Vergeire. — BM, GMA News