BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Two Negrenses repatriated from the United Kingdom tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Their swab samples were sent to the Philippine Genome Center for analysis if they have the new, more transmissible B117 SARS-CoV-2 variant first detected in the UK, according to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacon.
British experts earlier warned that the new UK variant could result in a 15-fold increase in infections in just a month if it becomes the dominant variant in the country. This means that from over 30,000, new cases per month could surge to as high as nearly 300,000.
While not providing the dates of their arrival, Lacson said the infected repatriates – both residents of Pontevedra, Negros Occidental – were under strict quarantine.
They were among the five Negrenses from the UK who skipped the mandatory swabbing in Manila.
The three others, who tested negative for COVID-19, were members of a family from E.B. Magalona town.
These repatriates allegedly concealed their travel history and even declared themselves as locally stranded individuals.
With this clear breach of protocols, Lacson said they are filing complaints at the National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
“This incident also led us to the decision to maintain stringent health protocols on returning Negrenses. They have to undergo swab test upon arrival to the province,” Lacson said.
He urged the public anew to follow health safety protocols such as social distancing, wearing of facemask and face shield and frequent hand washing.
“Remember, these remain to be our most effective tools against the transmission of the virus,” Lacson earlier said.
It was on Jan. 13 when the Department of Health (DOH) revealed the new COVID-19 variant has been detected in the Philippines.
The so-called index case or first person to test positive for B117 was a 29-year-old Filipino who traveled to Dubai on Dec. 27, 2020 and returned to the country on Jan. 7 with his partner.
As of Wednesday, 13 close contacts, including the patient’s girlfriend and mother, tested positive for COVID-19. Health authorities are still checking whether they had contracted the new, more contagious variant.
Health undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said there was also one close contact, a health worker who tended to the index case while in isolation, who was already recovering from COVID-19 to begin with.
All of the contacts are under isolation and strict monitoring. As of Wednesday morning, Vergeire said they are still looking for four other co-passengers.
She reminded the public that regardless of the variant, they should protect themselves from the virus by observing minimum health standards such as the wearing of face masks and practicing physical distancing./PN
