4 of first 10 COVID-19 cases in PH are 'local transmissions': DOH data

MANILA - Four of the first 10 new coronavirus cases in the Philippines are cases of local transmission, data of the country's health ministry showed Monday.

The Department of Health (DOH) data obtained by ABS-CBN News classified the country's 5th, 6th, 7th and 10th coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients are cases of local transmission.

The 5th case involves a 62-year-old Filipino man from the Rizal town of Cainta, who is in critical condition after testing positive on March 5. He is confined at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, the country's medical center for patients with the disease, located in Muntinlupa City.

The 6th case, a 59-year old Filipino woman, is the wife of the 5th case. She tested positive for the COVID-19 in Cainta, health authorities confirmed March 6, after contact tracing was conducted. She is also being treated at RITM.

The 7th case is a 38-year-old Taiwanese man who tested positive for the virus on March 8.

The 10th case is a 57-year-old Filipino from Quezon City. He was also confirmed positive for the virus on March 8, and is now being treated at St. Luke's Medical Center in Quezon City.

Earlier Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte placed the Philippines under a state of public health emergency.

• Philippines declares state of public health emergency due to coronavirus

The last seven cases announced in the past five days are the country's existing COVID-19 cases as the first three have either been discharged (for the two who recovered) or properly disposed of (for the one who died). 

Health officials have earlier said government is preparing for incidents of local transmission of the rapidly spreading disease, infecting over 100,000 across the world, mostly in China.

--With a report from Kristine Sabillo, ABS-CBN News