The first Cebuano returning overseas Filipino (ROF) tested positive for the B.1.1.7 or UK variant has recovered and been discharged, the Department of Health (DOH) in Central Visayas on Saturday said.
(photo from PNA)
The DOH-7 assured the residents that the region remains safe from the UK var
MANILA, Feb. 5 Following the sustained biosurveillance efforts of the government, the Department of Health (DOH), the University of the Philippines-Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC) and the UP-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) confirm the detection of eight (8) additional COVID-19 cases positive for the B.1.1.7 variant (UK variant). This brings the total B.1.1.7 variant cases in the country to 25. The DOH, UP-PGC, and UP-NIH further report that no other variant of concern has been detected.
Three (3) of the 8 additional cases are from Bontoc, Mountain Province. Of the 3 cases, two (2) females aged 25 and 54 were identified as close contacts of a previously reported B.1.1.7 variant case who is part of the Bontoc cluster. The third case is a 31-year-old male whose link to the Bontoc cluster is still being verified. To date, the 54-year-old female has already recovered, while the remaining two are active cases and are currently being managed.
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Roque also said the IATF directed the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to strictly implement issuances against airlines that allow the boarding of passengers who are prohibited from entering the Philippines, pursuant to the travel restrictions imposed by the Office of the President and the IATF. The IATF, in coordination with other agencies, may issue implementing guidelines on the exemptions to these entry restrictions.
He said contact tracing protocols, on the other hand, shall be strengthened by expanding to third-generation contacts for known new variant cases. All identified close contacts are required to undergo a strict facility-based 14-day quarantine while remaining contacts from the flight manifest shall be advised of the appropriate quarantine protocols. In this connection, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is directed to issue advisories to local government units (LGUs) to prepare and strengthen the maintenance of their quarantine
The Philippines has extended its travel ban on 32 countries until January 31, 2021, due to the new COVID-19 variants, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced on Friday.