Department of Health, kinumpirma ang presensya ng Omicron variant ng coronavirus sa Pilipinas
- The Department of Health (DOH) has confirmed the presence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus disease in the Philippines
- DOH officials said that they, along with the UP-PGC and UP-NIH, have detected two cases of the variant of concern from 48 samples they sequenced recently
- They also revealed that the samples were taken from travelers who arrived in the Philippines recently
- DOH officials added that the two are now isolated and being monitored in a government facility
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The Department of Health (DOH), in a report by the Manila Bulletin, has confirmed the presence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the Philippines.
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The Omicron variant has been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a variant of concern.
The country has been on the lookout for the variant since its discovery in South Africa last month.
Health officials revealed that the samples were taken from travelers who came from abroad.
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In a report by Reuters, on December 14 the DOH, along with the University of the Philippines – Philippine Genome Center (UP-PGC) and the University of the Philippines – National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), sequenced some 48 samples from incoming travelers.
Of the 48 samples, they claimed to have found two travelers positive with the Omicron coronavirus variant.
According to a report by ABS-CBN, these are the first cases of the variant of concern in the country.
In a statement, the DOH said that the two travelers are presently isolated and being monitored in a facility owned by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ).
The DOH statement further revealed that one of the travelers is a Filipino who arrived from Japan sometime in the first week of December.
“His positive result was released on Dec. 7 and the case was admitted in an isolation facility on the same date. He is currently asymptomatic but had symptoms of colds and cough upon arrival,” the DOH statement revealed.
The other case involved a foreign national who arrived from Nigeria in late November.
“A sample was collected on Dec. 6, 2021 and the result released on Dec. 7, 2021. He was then admitted to an isolation facility on the same date. His current status is also asymptomatic,” DOH officials said.
The B.1.1.529 coronavirus variant, otherwise called the Omicron, was first detected in South Africa in mid-November and reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) later that month. The health body has declared it as a variant of concern and government health agencies from around the world have been on the lookout for the said variant since then.
Even Pinoy celebrities were not spared by the deadly COVID-19. Popular Filipino Dota caster Aldrin Paulo "Dunoo" passed away due to the disease on August 27. The news was announced on Facebook by TNC Predator. He said that it was with a heavy heart that they announced the passing of one of their shoutcasters. Dunoo was also regarded as a Filipino casting legend, and was described by other casters as an amazing friend.
Yeng Constantino, although she contracted COVID-19, was luckily spared and has since recovered. In an interview about her experience, she explained that she must have contracted the virus from her mother, who contracted and succumbed to the disease. The singer also talked about how difficult it was for her to accept that her mom is already gone.
Source: KAMI.com.gh
