BEIJING: The Philippines on Sunday said that a 44-year-old Chinese man had died of the new coronavirus, the first fatality outside of China, prompting tighter travel restrictions for both Filipinos and foreigners.
The Department of Health said there were now two confirmed infections in the Philippines, including the man from Wuhan in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, who died on Saturday.
The man, who was admitted to a government hospital in Manila on Jan. 25, had developed severe pneumonia, the department said.
In China, the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak had reached 304 as of the end of Saturday, state broadcaster CCTV said on Sunday, citing the country’s National Health Commission, with recorded cases of infections at more than 14,000.
The man who died was a companion of a 38-year-old Chinese woman, also from Wuhan, who was the first to test positive for the virus in the Philippines.
Both patients arrived in the Philippines via Hong Kong on Jan. 21, the health department said.
While the patient who died was “stable and showed signs of improvement” during his last few days in the hospital, his condition deteriorated in the 24 hours before he died, Health Secretary Francisco Duque told reporters.
“We are currently working with the Chinese embassy to ensure the dignified management of the remains according to national and international standards to contain the disease,” he said.
Duque said all measures needed to contain the spread of the virus were being strictly implemented and followed, including by health personnel who came in contact with the two patients.
(with inputs from Agencies)
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