DOH says 40 Sars-CoV-2 variant cases have recovered
THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, said only three individuals who had contracted the B.1.1.7 variant of the novel coronavirus are considered active cases.
As of February 14, DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Alethea De Guzman said 40 of the 44 cases in the Philippines have recovered.
One patient was earlier reported to have succumbed to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in January 2021.
Of the 44 cases, 15 are returning overseas Filipino workers (OFW).
De Guzman said the three active cases were identified as a returning overseas Filipino (ROF) from the United Arab Emirates, a 20-year-old female from Sabangan in Mountain Province, and a 37-year-old male from Impasug-ong, Bukidnon.
“Nakikita natin na minimal na ‘yung transmission sa ibang individual basta na-detect natin siya at basta nagawa natin kaagad ‘yung response natin,” De Guzman said in a virtual briefing.
“Ibig sabihin our strategy works... We cut the chain of transmission. Hindi na siya dapat magkakaroon pa ng additional ng UK variant cases. Gano’n kahalaga ‘yung sinasabi natin na swift and enhanced response,” she added.
(This means that our strategy works. We cut the chain of transmission. There should be no additional UK variant cases. This is why a swift and enhanced response is very important.)
The B.1.1.7 variant was first announced in the United Kingdom in December 2020, about a year after the original Sars-CoV-2 strain was reported in Wuhan City in China.
Meanwhile, two residents of Barangay Riverside in Commonwealth in Quezon City have tested positive for Sars-CoV-2.
These cases were detected several days after a B.1.1.7 variant case was brought to the community.
The Quezon City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (Cesu) said the new cases, a 36-year-old male and a 44-year-old female, were both asymptomatic and were undergoing quarantine at the Hope Quarantine Facility.
Their swab specimens have been forwarded to the Philippine Genome Center for genome sequencing.
The Cesu said a total of 206 residents from Barangay Riverside were swabbed. They are among 342 people living within a 50-meter radius from the apartment that houses the variant-positive man and his companion.
The patient, a returning overseas Filipino worker who was awaiting deployment, was brought to the apartment in Riverside by his recruitment agency after his test results turned out to be positive.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte earlier said the City Government will file charges against the agency for failure to follow health safety protocols. (SunStar Philippines)