The one-year-old Chinese patient under investigation (PUI) at the isolation room of Ospital ng Palawan (ONP) was tested negative for the 2019 Novel Corona Virus (2019-nCoV), said the Department of Health (DOH) in the region.
Dr. Mario Baquilod, the DOH regional told Palawan Daily News (PDN) Monday, two consecutive laboratory tests for 2019-nCoV were conducted on two different specimens taken from the child.
“Iyong [result na dumating ng] Friday ng gabi [ay] ‘yong una. Tapos ‘yong kagabi [ay] iyong second one that we have to wait para ma-validate. ‘Yong dalawang exam niya is negative. So today na-i-issue na namin,” said Baquilod.
Baquilod noted the first result from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) was released to them on Friday, February 7, while the second result for validation they received Sunday evening, February 9.
Dr. Audie Cipriano, chief of the medical professional staff of the ONP also told Palawan Daily News the infant was discharged from the isolation room early Monday morning.
Earlier, Baquilod said the boy has measles and history of travel from China, which met the criteria they used in considering the baby as a PUI.
He said they considered the baby a PUI for 2019 nCoV, even while measles in itself is a viral disease, which also causes flu-like symptoms and respiratory infection, because “co-morbidity” is always possible wherein two or more diseases may occur in one person at a given time.