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The first suspected case in the Philippines was investigated on January 22, , and suspected cases were reported as of March 1. We describe the clinical and epidemiological aspects of the first two confirmed COVID cases in the Philippines, both admitted to the national infectious disease referral hospital in Manila. Both patients were previously healthy Chinese nationals on vacation in the Philippines travelling as a couple during January Patient 1, a year-old female, had symptoms of cough and sore throat and was admitted to San Lazaro Hospital in Manila on January Physical examination was unremarkable.
Her symptoms resolved, and she was discharged. Patient 2, a year-old male, had symptoms of fever, cough, and chills. He was treated for community-acquired pneumonia with intravenous antibiotics, but his condition deteriorated and he required intubation. This case report highlights several important clinical and public health issues.
Despite both patients being young adults with no significant past medical history, they had very different clinical courses, illustrating how COVID can present with a wide spectrum of disease. Continued vigilance is required to identify new cases. The novel coronavirus COVID is responsible for more fatalities than the severe acute respiratory syndrome SARS coronavirus, despite being in the initial stage of a global pandemic. It is thought that the index case occurred on December 8, , in Wuhan, China [ 1 ].
