Chinese man under investigation for nCoV dies of pneumonia at San Lazaro Hospital

MANILA (UPDATE) - Health officials on Wednesday confirmed that a man from China under investigation for the novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV has died of pneumonia at the San Lazaro Hospital in Manila.

"This morning we have a person under investigation, hindi pa confirmed for nCoV, namatay (it's not confirmed if he has nCoV, he died)," said San Lazaro Hospital Director Dr. Edmundo Lopez in a press briefing.

Lopez said the 29-year-old man was from Yunnan, China. The patient also tested positive for HIV.

"Specimens have been taken and may tests na ni-run ang RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine) for detection of N Corona virus so were waiting for that result," he said.

He was admitted to the hospital last Monday.

Lopez added that the patient was seen with various symptoms upon admission.

The doctor said the patient had cervical lesions, nodules, "lung findings" and "was basically frail."

The Department of Health (DOH) earlier reported that three Chinese patients, two with recent travel history to Wuhan, were being observed for possible coronavirus infection at the San Lazaro Hospital.

There remains to be no confirmed case of the 2019 nCoV in the Philippines, health officials earlier said. The DOH is still monitoring 23 suspected cases of nCoV while 4 have already been discharged.

The virus has claimed at least 132 lives and infected 5,974 people in China as of Wednesday.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), according to the World Health Organization.