NEARLY half of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) variant cases in the country are in Metro Manila, an infectious disease expert yesterday said, as the Department of Health announced that four Filipinos and one foreign national from India or had a travel history to
India were among those who tested positive upon their recent arrival in the country.
Former Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID) President Dr. Rontgene Solante said about 47 percent of the variant cases identified by the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) are in the country’s capital region.
Solante said that in the National Capital Region, there are 358 United Kingdom variant cases, 602 South African variant cases, and 39 cases of the P.3 variant cases.
Nationwide, there are 948 UK variant cases, 1,075 South African variant cases, and 157 P.3 variant cases.
Other regions found to have the presence of COVID-19 variants are Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, and Caraga.
Solante appealed to the public to strictly adhere to established health protocols against COVID-19 to protect themselves from catching the virus.
“Even though the virus circulating is a variant, that will not impact because you wear face mask and face sheild, avoid crowded places, and have good ventilation. That is the best protection that we have,” he said.
In addition, he urged all qualified individuals to avail of the COVID-19 vaccines offered by the government.
“The more we gradually introduce the vaccines, you have more people developing the antibodies and there will be less transmission of the virus,” said Solante.
Meanwhile, the DOH yesterday clarified that only four Filipinos and one foreign national from India or had travel history to the South Asian country were found infected with the coronavirus upon their arrival in the country.
The DOH on Wednesday said six travelers from India tested positive after they were swabbed while undergoing quarantine in a government-identified facility.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said: “The Bureau of Quarantine recorded 149 passengers with travel history from India from April 1 to 30. Among these cases, 5 tested positive for COVID-19.”
Of the five, she said only one remains isolated, while the other four have recovered already from COVID-19.
Vergeire said they are still in the process of forwarding the swab samples of the positive individuals to the PGC for genome sequencing.
“So far, we have not detected in the country the Indian (B.1.617) variant yet,” added Vergeire.
On the other hand, Vergeire said the 137 who tested negative have already been released but were expected to complete the 14-day quarantine period in their respective local government units.
As for the remaining 7 travelers, Vergeire said they are still verifying some details related to their statuses.
The health official, however, assured that the seven – composed of 3 Filipinos and 4 foreigners – have already been tested and they have yielded negative results.
The Philippine government banned the entry of travelers from India as well as those with recent travel history to the South Asian country from April 29 to May 14.
However, passengers already in transit or those who arrived before April 29 from India as well as those with travel history to India are exempted from the ban but are required to undergo strict COVID-19 quarantine and testing protocols.
As to the possible close contacts of the travelers, Vergeire said the numbers are mostly limited to their co-passengers.
On Wednesday, Malacañang issued a memorandum expanding the travel ban to also include travelers from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The additional ban takes effect today and will be in place until May 14.
The memorandum said travelers who have been to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka within 14 days preceding their arrival in the Philippines shall be prohibited from entering from 12:01 am of May 7 to 11:59 pm of May 14.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said all passengers from the four countries, as well as those who have a travel history to any of the four within the last 14 days from the date of their arrival in the Philippines, will be prohibited from entering the country.
Morente said passengers who will be merely transiting through India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, will be allowed to enter, but will be required to undergo a strict 14-day quarantine.
BI Port Operations Division Chief Carlos Capulong said passengers considered transiting are those who merely stayed in the airport of the said countries the whole time and were not cleared for entry into those countries by their immigration authorities. — With Ashzel Hachero
