DOH revises COVID-19 case classification

The Department of Health (DoH) has revised the classification of COVID-19 patients to align with the international system and World Health Organization recommendations.

The terms "persons under monitoring" and "patients under investigation" are replaced by "suspect," "probable," and "confirmed" cases.

Residents are now assumed to have been exposed due to local transmission, making the PUM classification obsolete.

Suspect cases include individuals with influenza-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat), particularly if they have traveled to or live in areas with local transmission, or have had close contact with a confirmed or probable case.

Other criteria for suspect cases include being 60 years old and above, having pre-existing conditions, being pregnant, or being a health worker.

Sudden lung problems requiring hospitalization or symptoms with a history of travel to affected countries or close contact with infected individuals also fall under suspect cases.

Probable cases involve individuals with pending test results or tests conducted in unofficial laboratories.

Confirmed cases are those who test positive for COVID-19.

As of Saturday, the country has a total of 4,428 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 247 fatalities and 157 recoveries.