GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 29 Jan) – The city government urged residents here on Wednesday to refrain from spreading or sharing unverified information regarding the deadly novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) to avoid creating panic.
Dr. Rochelle Oco, acting city health officer, issued the call as she dismissed a message circulating in the social media that a suspected 2019-nCoV case was supposedly being investigated in a local hospital.
She reiterated that the city remains free from the 2019-nCoV and no person is currently under investigation for the disease.
“Only source updates from the [social media] accounts of the City Public Information Office and the City Health Office,” she said.
The message, which has been spreading in the last two days, claimed that a patient with confirmed case of 2019-nCoV infection was purportedly admitted at the St. Elizabeth Hospital here.
In a public advisory, the hospital management said it has been made aware of the “fake news” and assured the public that that “there is no confirmed case of 2019-nCoV” confined at the facility.
It said there are no admitted patients at the hospital who are classified as persons under investigation or PUI for the said virus.
The hospital advised residents who earlier lived and traveled to Wuhan City, Hubei province in China or made close contact with people from the area to seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms such as cold, cough, fever, difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath.
“To safeguard the health and safety of all, we have employed the highest standards of infection control and protocols to deal with any patients suspected to be infected with the virus,” it added. (MindaNews)