The delegate did not have contact with UN staff during her stay at the UN headquarters, but met two other staff members from another mission, CNN reported.
CNN Philippines (March 13) – A female diplomat at the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York City has tested positive for the coronavirus disease or COVID-19, prompting a lockdown of the whole diplomatic office, the mission said in a statement Thursday.
UN Medical services is reaching out to them,” CNN cited UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric as saying.
The Filipino diplomat was at the UN headquarters for 30 minutes on Monday but she was asymptomatic. The following day, she manifested flu-like symptoms and was later confirmed to have the viral illness, it added.
Deputy Permanent Representative Kira D. Azucena, the Mission’s Charge d’Affaires, informed health authorities in the UN and the New York City health department about the matter and they were advised to self-isolate. She also informed other mission to the UN about the situation.
“As of today, the Philippine Center in New York housing the Philippine Mission is on lockdown until further notice and its employees have been instructed to self-quarantine and to seek medical attention should they develop the symptoms,” the statement said.
It added the staff currently isolated is in good condition and other employees who may have been exposed to the COVID-19 patient “have been instructed to self-quarantine and to seek medical attention should they develop the symptoms.”
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin also said in a post on Twitter on Friday she had gone to another state before contracting the virus.
“It was after celebrating her birthday with friends during a light rain and she’d just come from Florida.”
Over 90 Filipinos overseas have been confirmed to have the fast-spreading disease, a majority of them linked to the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.
Worldwide, COVID-19 has left more than 4,700 people dead, mostly in China. It has also sickened over 128,000 people globally as of Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University’s global tracking of cases.
In the Philippines, three more COVID-19 patients have died, the Department of Health announced Thursday, bringing the death tally to five. The number of COVID-19 cases in the country now stands at 52.
COVID-19 is a disease caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, which is related to the virus which causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, but is not as deadly, with the fatality rate standing at around three percent.
According to the WHO, 80 percent of patients only experience “mild illness” and eventually recover. It added that some 14 percent experience severe illness while five percent were critically ill.
To prevent infection, authorities are urging people to practice regular hand washing, cover the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and avoid close contact with those who show respiratory symptoms.
