Two of 24 COVID-19 cases in critical condition —Duque
Two of the 24 confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines are now in critical condition, as the Department of Health (DOH) said both individuals have preexisting medical conditions.
In a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the two individuals are currently in critical condition — one Filipino and one American.
The Filipino is a 62-year-old who was earlier diagnosed with severe pneumonia and had other medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
Likewise, the American was also said to have "many" preexisting conditions prior to being diagnosed with COVID-19.
"All of these mirror the same serious, if not critical cases that have been observed in Wuhan and the Hubei Province [in China], the epicenter of the COVID-19 virus," said Duque.
"It looks like more and more data that come in show that most of the cases are actually mild cases, 80 to 85%," he added.
The Philippines has 24 confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far, after four new cases were reported Monday evening.
President Rodrigo Duterte has since signed a proclamation declaring a public health emergency due to the rising number of cases. He has also ordered the suspension of classes in the National Capital Region. —KBK, GMA News