Quezon City hall (PNA file photo)
MANILA – The country's first detected case of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) Omicron subvariant had four close contacts from Quezon City.
In a message to the Philippine News Agency on Friday, Dr. Rolly Cruz, head of the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU), also corrected reports that there were nine residents who made contact with the 52-year-old female Finnish national found positive of the Omicron subvariant BA.2.12 by the Center for Health Development in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
The fully vaccinated foreigner arrived in the country from Finland on April 2, 2022 and traveled to a university in Quezon City and then to Baguio City to conduct seminars.
Nine days later, she experienced mild symptoms such as headache and sore throat and tested positive through a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test.
She completed a seven-day quarantine before going home on April 21.
The local epidemiology and surveillance unit in Baguio traced nine asymptomatic close contacts, two of whom tested and were found negative.
“’Yung mga taga-Quezon City na close contact, nasa apat lang po ito. Apat lang po ‘yung mga nakasama niya dun sa seminar nila sa Baguio (There are only four closed contacts who are from Quezon City. They were with her during the seminar in Baguio),” Cruz said.
Three of the close contacts were quarantined and already yielded negative test results for Covid-19, while the other one has reportedly left the country with the Finnish national.
They also arrived in the Philippines together.
“Hinahanap namin siya rito sa Quezon City kasi may address na QC. Wala na po siya. Ang duda namin, nakabalik na (We tried to look for the contact because there is a Quezon City address. But we did not find the person, who might have already left),” he said.
Mayor Joy Belmonte reminded residents that the threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is still around despite the country’s “very low risk” classification.
“Huwag po sana tayong makalimot na naririyan pa rin ang Covid-19 kahit tayo’y nasa Alert Level 1. Palagi tayong magsuot ng face mask at sumunod sa minimum health standards para makaiwas sa virus (Let us not forget that Covid-19 is still present even if we are now under Alert Level 1. Let us continue following the minimum health standards so we can avoid contracting the virus),” Belmonte told the PNA via text message.
As of Thursday, the city government only has 155 active cases.
Free Covid-19 swab tests are available in community-based sites and health centers for symptomatic residents, close contacts of confirmed patients, pregnant, dialysis patients, and those preparing for medical procedures. (PNA)
