In a phone interview, Ona said the official results of the tests conducted by the DOH on the Filipino male nurse from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has not yet been released.
“Wala pa pong official results. I hope it is [negative]. Hinihintay pa po natin. Siguro by tomorrow, or later tonight, ine-expect natin ang results,” Ona said Friday.
Earlier in the day, various news outlets quoted a supposed Department of Health (DOH) statement as saying that the OFW earlier tested positive for the MERS coronavirus no longer has the virus.
Ona said the DOH has not issued any such statements.
“Narinig ko nga lang ‘yung balita. Huwag muna kayong maglabas kasi mali iyon,” the DOH chief said.
On Wednesday, the DOH confirmed that the Filipino male nurse from UAE as the first reported case of the MERS virus in the Philippines.
The OFW underwent laboratory exams in UAE after being exposed to the Filipino paramedic who died from MERS last week, but immediately left for Manila.
The DOH decided to quarantine the OFW and test him every five days to see if he still has the virus. The MERS coronavirus has a 10- to 14-day incubation period.
On Thursday, the department requested all passengers of an Etihad flight which brought the OFW from the UAE to the Philippines to get tested for the MERS virus.
MERS is a novel virus often referred to as the Middle East’s own version of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Symptoms of MERS include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and even diarrhea. It was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012. — RSJ, GMA News
