Chinese man dies of pneumonia, not confirmed for nCoV

A Chinese national being monitored for the 2019 novel coronavirus (nCoV) has died of pneumonia at San Lazaro Hospital in Manila.

The 29-year-old man from Yunnan, China, who was admitted on January 27, was not confirmed to have nCoV infection, but tested positive for HIV upon admission.

Health officials will still conduct tests to confirm if the deceased patient was infected with nCoV, despite initial findings pointing to other diseases.

The number of persons under investigation (PUIs) for nCoV nationwide is now at 23, with 27 suspected cases recorded since monitoring began.

Four suspected cases have already been discharged after testing negative for the virus.

Laboratory materials for nCoV testing kits have arrived in the Philippines, and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) is expected to begin testing within 48 hours.

The Department of Health will expand its evaluation tool for suspected nCoV cases to include travel history to the entire Hubei province, not just Wuhan.

The government is also considering imposing price control on face masks due to reports of price hikes.