Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who is on home quarantine and waiting for test results for COVID-19, said Friday he was "okay."

Duque was tested for the coronavirus disease because he is asthmatic and hypertensive, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Wednesday.

"I'm okay, I work. Iyon lang binabantayan ko iyong asthma ko saka iyong hypertension kasi mga pre-disposing factors din iyan," Duque told DZMM.

(I'm monitoring my asthma and hypertension because those are pre-disposing factors.)

"Wala naman akong bagong symptoms," he added.

(I have no new symptoms.)

Duque said he and his wife, who is also a doctor and has coughs, are monitoring each other.

"Nagbabantayan kaming dalawa from afar," he shared.

(We are watching over each other from afar.)

Vergeire confirmed Tuesday that a DOH director in the agency's central office tested positive for COVID-19.

Due to the limited number of testing kits in the Philippines, the DOH earlier said that the COVID-19 test would be administered only to the elderly and patients who have been exhibiting symptoms of the disease including fever, headache, cough and colds.

DZMM, March 20, 2020