COVID-19 VARIANT | DOH urges more caution as fourth Omicron case in Philippines detected

December 27, 2021 , 03:02 PM

By Beatrice Puente

(December 27, 2021) – The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday reported the detection of another Omicron case in the Philippines from a traveler that arrived from the United States earlier this month, bringing the total infections to four.

DOH undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the 38-year-old woman experienced throat itchiness and colds on December 13 while undergoing facility-based quarantine, turning in a positive COVID-19 test result. She’s completing home-based quarantine after her transfer on December 24.

“(The) detected Omicron cases remain to be among international arrivals but its entry is inevitable. We want to further delay its entry to ensure that local health systems are ready,” said Vergeire in a media briefing.

Vergeire said the patient had earlier been exposed to her friends in the United States before flying to Manila via Philippine Airlines PR 127. Despite having no symptoms after her home-based quarantine, Vergeire said the patient still tested positive for COVID-19 when she was swabbed again last December 25.

DOH Beat COVID-19 Media Forum | December 27, 2021

DOH Beat COVID-19 Media Forum | December 27, 2021

Posted by Department of Health (Philippines) on Sunday, December 26, 2021

Last week, the DOH reported the third Omicron case from a returning Filipino from Qatar who arrived in Cebu last November 28. The first two cases had been detected from a Nigerian and a returning Filipino from Japan, who arrived on November 30 and December 1, respectively.

Vergeire said the co-passengers of the latest patient will be closely monitored, similar to their handling of the first three cases.

Initial studies from the United Kingdom said the Omicron variant is five times more likely to cause reinfection compared to the Delta variant. Other reports added that the Omicron variant, which was first detected in South Africa, is not milder than the Delta variant but COVID-19 booster shots can help minimize hospitalizations and deaths.

Vergeire also expressed optimism that the recent uptick in COVID-19 infections was not triggered by the Omicron variant, pointing to the increased mobility as a possible cause, especially in Metro Manila.

“Sa ngayon, ang atin pa ring natatalang Omicron case ay apat galing pa rin sa labas. Na-isolate naman natin sila. Hopefully, it is not variant-driven. If we need to observe, nakikita natin ‘yung mobility natin ay mataas kumpara sa mga previous weeks dahil sa ating holiday season,” said Vergeire.

The DOH noted that the country remains at minimal risk although slight increases were seen in almost all cities in Metro Manila. San Juan, Las Piñas, Manila, and Makati are at moderate risk as their average daily attack rate breached 1.00 from December 13 to 26.

The OCTA Research Group also noted a holiday uptick in its recent report but clarified that there’s no need to panic.

Vergeire noted that the country must continue its efforts in vaccination and detection to prevent another surge in COVID-19 cases.

“Meron tayong nakikitang uptick ng kaso pero it’s not significant enough yet. But it is an alarm—a warning for all of us that cases might start to increase, so kailangan magtulung-tulong tayo lahat ngayon,” urged Vergeire.

(PM)

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