MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) has issued new guidelines in the classification of individuals for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Philippines.
"Mapapalitan na ang PUM (person under monitoring) at PUI (person under investigation) at gagamitin na ang SUSPECT, PROBABLE, at CONFIRMED," DOH shared on Facebook.
SEE ALSO: DOH reacts on 'alarming information' from Arnold Clavio's Instagram posts
"Ang bagong klasipikasyon ay naglalayon na magkaroon ng uniformed reporting upang mas maging tutok ang ating mga hakbang laban sa COVID-19," the advisory added.
Those previously identified as PUMs are now excluded in the new classification system.
Under Administrative Order No. 2020-0013, the former PUI category is now divided into two: suspect and probable.
A patient will be classified as "suspect" if he/she has mild, severe or critical symptoms, who was not tested or awaiting test results.
1. Patient has the following symptoms:
And either of the two:
2. Patient has the following symptoms:
And is any of the following:
3. Patient experiences sudden onset of lung illness with severe symptoms of unknown origin and needs hospitalization
A patient will be classified as "probable" if he/she has mild, severe or critical symptoms, with inconclusive test results.
Patients with positive results from official testing labs will be considered "confirmed" cases.
“The evidence of local and community transmission of COVID-19 necessitated a review on the assessment and classification of individuals with the aim of early detection and laboratory confirmation,” DOH said in the memorandum.
— The Summit Express
"Mapapalitan na ang PUM (person under monitoring) at PUI (person under investigation) at gagamitin na ang SUSPECT, PROBABLE, at CONFIRMED," DOH shared on Facebook.
SEE ALSO: DOH reacts on 'alarming information' from Arnold Clavio's Instagram posts
"Ang bagong klasipikasyon ay naglalayon na magkaroon ng uniformed reporting upang mas maging tutok ang ating mga hakbang laban sa COVID-19," the advisory added.
Those previously identified as PUMs are now excluded in the new classification system.
Under Administrative Order No. 2020-0013, the former PUI category is now divided into two: suspect and probable.
A patient will be classified as "suspect" if he/she has mild, severe or critical symptoms, who was not tested or awaiting test results.
1. Patient has the following symptoms:
- Fever of at least 38 degrees C
- Cough
- Throat Pain
And either of the two:
- Has travel history or lives in community with local COVID-19 transmission within 14 days since start of symptoms
- Had close contact with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case within 14 days since start of symptoms
2. Patient has the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Cough
- Difficulty breathing
And is any of the following:
- 60 years old and above
- Has preexisting condition
- Has sensitive pregnancy
- A health worker
3. Patient experiences sudden onset of lung illness with severe symptoms of unknown origin and needs hospitalization
A patient will be classified as "probable" if he/she has mild, severe or critical symptoms, with inconclusive test results.
- test was not done in an official laboratory with RT-PCR test (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, considered the “gold standard” in COVID-19 testing)
- remains untested
Patients with positive results from official testing labs will be considered "confirmed" cases.
“The evidence of local and community transmission of COVID-19 necessitated a review on the assessment and classification of individuals with the aim of early detection and laboratory confirmation,” DOH said in the memorandum.
— The Summit Express
