Flight attendant with Wuhan travel discharged from hospital but under monitoring

THE 24-year old flight attendant who was unwell and had a cough following travel in Wuhan, China, the ground zero of the novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV, has been discharged from hospital but will continue to be monitored, according to the Aklan Provincial Health Office (PHO). Cornelio V. Cuachon Jr., chief of the PHO, said the flight attendant initially consulted a private physician and was referred and admitted to the Dr. Rafael Tumbukon Provincial Hospital. “She had cough so eventually she was admitted… and was discharged this morning,” he said in a phone interview on Wednesday. Blood samples of the patient were sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for testing on Thursday. Mr. Cuachon also said that they are continuously monitoring the three Chinese nationals who were quarantined after showing symptoms upon arrival at the Kalibo International Airport. The first quarantined passenger was a 29-year-old female who arrived Jan. 17, and discharged from hospital the next day as she no longer had a fever. The two others, a three-year-old girl who arrived Jan. 18 and a 65-year-old male on Jan. 20, showed signs of fever and colds. The child was discharged after being diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection, while the senior male was treated as an outpatient after observations indicated that he has already recovered. “While we allowed the three Chinese nationals to proceed to Boracay, we are closely monitoring them as part of surveillance because once their symptoms progresses, they will be advised to seek medical attention,” he said. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo