MANILA – The country’s first case of the BA.2.12 Omicron subvariant, a 52-year-old Finnish woman, has a total of 44 close contacts, a health official said Thursday.
In a television interview, Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the country’s first case had nine close contacts in Quezon City, five in Benguet, and 30 while aboard a commercial flight going to Manila.
"All of them are being closely monitored. Some of them were tested already which turned out to be negative,” she added.
The DOH has received a manifesto from the airline and subsequently conducted contact tracing.
"She had a total of 30 close contacts, near contacts in the airplane. All of them are being closely monitored and nobody is experiencing symptoms as of this time,” Vergeire said.
The 30 contacts are fully vaccinated.
Earlier, the DOH said the woman arrived in the country on April 2 and traveled to a university in Quezon City and in Baguio City to conduct seminars.
She tested negative for Covid-19 in her pre-departure test in Finland and is fully vaccinated.
She was not required to undergo routine isolation at a quarantine facility since she was fully vaccinated and arrived asymptomatic.
She began experiencing mild symptoms such as headache and sore throat after nine days.
Citing the 14-day incubation period of the virus, Vergeire said "it is possible that the woman got infected in her home country or during her travel to the Philippines".
The DOH assured the public that the woman finished her seven-day isolation, had recovered, and discharged.
She had returned to Finland on April 21. (PNA)
