DOH Confirms Presence Of Omicron Variant In Travelers Who Arrived In PH From Japan, Nigeria
DOH CONFIRMS OMICRON – The Department of Health (DOH) said that it has confirmed the presence of the new COVID-19 variant in travelers from Japan and Nigeria.
During a press release, the DOH said that the University of the Philippines Genome Center found two cases of the Omicron variant from 48 samples.
According to an article from Inquirer, the first patient was identified as a Filipino who came back on December 1st from a foreign trip to Japan. Meanwhile, the other was a Nigerian national who arrived in the country from Nigeria last November 30.
As per the article, the DOH said:
One is a Returning Overseas Filipino (ROF) who arrived from Japan on December 1, 2021, via Philippine Airlines flight number PR 0427. The sample was collected on December 5, 2021. His positive result was released on December 7 and the case was admitted to an isolation facility on the same date. He is currently asymptomatic but had symptoms of colds and cough upon arrival
On the other hand, the Nigerian national arrived via Oman Air with flight number WY 843. Based on the DOH’s statements, health officials secured a sample on December 6, 2021. Afterward, the results were released a day later.
However, the DOH said that the person was already admitted to a quarantine facility on the same day. Currently, the patient has been found to be asymptomatic.
Moreover, the health department emphasized that the patient’s positive for the new Omicron is currently quarantined at a facility managed by the Bureau of Quarantine.
Currently, officials are conducting close contact tracing of their flight passengers. “The DOH is verifying the test results and health status of all passengers of these flights to determine if there are other confirmed cases or passengers who became symptomatic after arrival“, said the DOH.
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