Close contacts of index patient who tested positive for COVID-19 now at 11
(Eagle News) — The mother and the girlfriend of the 29-year-old male who tested positive for the United Kingdom COVID-19 variant have tested positive for COVID-19, the Department of Health said on Wednesday, January 20.
Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire said apart from the two, another close contact of the male tested positive for COVID-19 in a recent re-swabbing, but she said this third one was a recovering COVID-19 patient.
As such, she said that while the results of the wife and the girlfriend have been sent to the Philippine Genome Center to see if they had been infected with the UK variant, the third close contact’s samples were not likely to be sent there.
“Nag-positive po siya (third patient) sa COVID-19 noong second week of December, at pwede po mag-stay ang remnants ng virus at ma-detect ito as far as eight weeks,” she said.
The additional three patients brought to 11 the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 after coming in contact with the 29-year-old, Vergeire said.
Of the 11, Vergeire said eight were co-passengers on board the Emirates Flight EK 332 the 29-year-old male–or the index patient—took prior to testing positive for the UK variant upon arrival to the Philippines from Dubai on Jan. 7.
All in all, the authorities have isolated all but six of the 213 identified contacts of the 29-year-old male.
The remaining six who have yet to be located were co-passengers of the index patient on the Emirates flight.
As of Tuesday the Philippines has reported 504,084 COVID-19 cases.
