The Quezon City government on Wednesday said it is closely monitoring the case of a resident who tested positive for the Covid-19 United Kingdom variant (B.1.1.7).
The patient was tested on Jan. 7 upon arrival from Dubai and stayed at a hotel as part of protocol.
The day after, it was confirmed that the person had the so-called United Kingdom variant after his sample was sent to the Philippine Genome Center.
He was immediately brought to an isolation facility where he is now being cared for.
He left the Philippines on Dec. 27 on a business trip to Dubai with a female companion who tested negative upon arrival.
The patient and his companion tested negative before leaving the Philippines, and also tested negative upon arrival in Dubai.
The Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit said it has conducted contact tracing on the resident’s close contacts upon his arrival like the healthworkers at the isolation facility where he was brought, and the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT) that brought him from the hotel to the isolation facility.
The CESU is waiting for the Department of Health to submit the list of passengers who were on the same flight as the patient from Dubai to contact trace passengers who may be from Quezon City.
As an added precautionary measure, the patient’s immediate household contacts have been brought to an isolation facility where they were also tested.
CESU also initiated heightened surveillance in the community of the resident to determine the presence of clustered cases.
“We have to remain cautious and vigilant to avert the spread of this new variant. What is important is we take care of the resident, and make sure we don’t sow panic in the community,” Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a press release.
Belmonte also stressed the need to intensify practicing minimum health standards and report all symptoms immediately, following the confirmation of the new variant in the city.
“We are doing everything we can to trace and isolate, knowing fully well that this variant is more contagious but not more virulent”, CESU head Rolly Cruz said. (PNA)
