OFW with MERS Symptoms Under Observation in Oro
CAGAYAN DE ORO: A patient, reportedly an overseas Filipino worker, suspected to be infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (Mers-Cov) has been kept under observation at Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) in Cagayan de Oro City.
Sun Star quoted Dr Peter Quiaiot, NMMC officer in-charge, as saying the patient whose personal information was kept confidential, arrived in the hospital on Wednesday.
The patient was reportedly admitted to a private hospital on Tuesday afternoon, and transferred to NMMC the following morning.
Quiaoit further said before the patient arrived, the hospital already secured the area from the entry of the patient to the patient’s isolated location.
“We are still confirming if it’s a Mers-Cov case or not,” Quiaoit added.
Quiaoit also reportedly stated that the patient is showing symptoms of the disease but is yet to be confirmed.
Samples and laboratory test have been taken and submitted already to the Department of Health (DOH) in Northern Mindanao, and results are likely to come out within three days, the report said.
“The patient has the symptoms but it could be just a flu or something pero (but) we need confirmatory test to verify”, Quiaoit reportedly said.
Quaioit was quoted as saying by the news report that the patient lives in the outskirt of Cagayan de Oro and has history of traveling abroad and reportedly working as an overseas Filipino Worker (OFW).
But Quiaoit could not disclose which country the patient came from.
“Sa history naa siyay travel abroad mura siyag OFW (He has travel abroad, he seems like to be an OFW) and the employer base in history has similar symptoms but we are not sure and we don’t have information whether the employer has the disease,” Quiaoit added.
Should the results confirm the patient to be carrying the disease, the hospital assures it is ready to treat the patient, Sun Star reported.