MANILA: The first novel coronavirus patient in the Philippines has been discharged from the hospital after testing negative for the virus, the country's Health Undersecretary Eric Domingo said Monday (Feb 10). "The first case has already tested negative twice, and has, in fact, been discharged on Saturday," Domingo told a news conference, noting that negative results from two consecutive tests are needed before a patient is discharged. The patient, a 38-year-old Chinese woman from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China, arrived in the Philippines via Hong Kong on Jan. 21. Currently, more than 300 people are under investigation for possible novel coronavirus infection in the Philippines, Domingo added. There are three confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection in the country as of Monday noon, with the third case being a 60-year-old Chinese woman, who has already returned to China.

Source: The Star February 10, 2020 11:37 UTC