DOH confirms cremation of nCoV-infected Chinese man

The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed on Wednesday that the cremation of a 44-year-old Chinese male who died after testing positive for novel coronavirus will proceed.

Consent was secured from the Chinese Embassy, and the DOH has the mandate to dispose of infectious disease bodies in a sanitary manner.

On Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III stated that crematoriums initially agreed to handle the corpse but later withdrew their services due to changing circumstances.

Duque acknowledged uncertainty about how long the virus could survive after its host's death and emphasized the need for further characterization of the new virus.