The Department of Health (DOH) has just released a list of new classifications for individuals with COVID-19. The new classification is listed under Administrative Order No. 2020-0013, dated Apr. 9.

The aim of this new classification is to have uniformed reporting on cases of COVID-19, DOH says in a Facebook post.

Under the new classification, the Persons Under Monitoring category will no longer be used. Instead, Persons Under Investigation (PUI) will be subdivided into two categories: suspect and probable.

The final classifications will hence be changed from PUM, PUI, and confirmed cases to suspect, probable, and confirmed cases.

Individuals may be considered a suspect case if they either:

Have an influenza-like illness (with fever at 38℃ and cough or sore throat) and have either traveled to or lived in an area with reported local transmission of COVID-19, or have been in close contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 within 14 days before the onset of symptoms
Have fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, and are either 60 years old and above, with a comorbidity, assessed with a high-risk pregnancy, or a health worker
Had a respiratory problem with severe symptoms with unidentifiable causes that need to be brought to a hospital

[READ: Think you’re a close contact of a COVID-19 patient? Here’s what to do next]

Meanwhile, individuals may be considered probable cases if they are suspect and have inconclusive test results, or have had their tests conducted at a facility that is not a national or subnational reference laboratory or officially accredited laboratory for COVID-19 testing.

Confirmed cases on the other hand are those whose COVID-19 test results come out positive.

Header image courtesy of Consuelo Marquez/Inquirer.net

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