LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The family members of the 23-year-old male overseas Filipino worker (OFW), who was the first coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) Delta variant case in Pangasinan, have tested negative of the coronavirus, according to the Provincial Health Office (PHO).
In the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas-Pangasinan chapter virtual forum on Wednesday, PHO chief Dr. Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman said they were swabbed on Aug. 9 and their reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results came out negative on Tuesday.
“The Delta variant patient and his family are still under quarantine,” she said.
The first Delta variant patient in the province went home in Natividad town on Aug. 3 after completing his mandatory quarantine in Manila.
The 11 other OFWs who were with the patient in the bus were swabbed on Tuesday by the Department of Health, she added.
De Guzman said he arrived at the drop-off point in Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) along with 20 other returning OFWs.
The patient was tested positive for Covid-19 when he arrived in the country after completing his quarantine before he was sent home. He was then considered to have recovered.
He was again tested together with his family, she said.
Meanwhile, de Guzman said the Delta variant is highly transmissible and it immediately causes difficulty of breathing among other symptoms based on studies.
She reminded the public to still practice the health protocols and to avail of the available Covid-19 vaccines. (PNA)
