DOH: 2 OFWs na umuwi ng Pilipinas, positibo sa 'Indian' COVID-19 variant

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 1:24 p.m.) — Kinumpirma ng Department of Health (DOH) na napasok na ng panibagong kinatatakutang "variant of concern" ng coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ang Pilipinas.

Sa media forum ng DOH ngayong Martes, sinabi ng kagawaran na tinamaan ng "mas nakahahawang" B.1.617 variant ang dalawang Pinoy — kahit na wala silang history of travel sa bansang India.

Sa India, kung saan unang nadiskubre ang B.1.617 variant, naitatala ang pinakamatataas na bagong kaso ng COVID-19 sa buong mundo sa iisang araw lang.

"For these 46 samples that were sequenced, there were two incoming returning overseas Filipinos that were included. One came from Oman and one came from UAE," wika ni Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire patungkol sa mga samples na inaral ng Philippine Genome Center.

"So itong dalawang ito, nakasama, sila po 'yung nag-positive [sa COVID-19]. No history of travel to India, they did not come from India, nor passed through India. They were part of the sequencing because they were part of this batch that we sequenced for the returning overseas Filipinos."

Narito ang detalye ng dalawang kaso:

1) 37-anyos na lalaki

• sea-based overseas Filipino worker (OFW)
• kasalukuyang nasa: Region XII
• nanggaling sa: Oman
• dumating sa 'Pinas: ika-10 ng Abril, 2021
• specimen date: ika-15 ng Abril 2021
• petsa ng paggaling: ika-26 ng Abril, 2021
• nagnegatibo na noong ika-3 ng Mayo 
• asymptomatic na

2) 58-anyos na lalaki

• sea-based overseas Filipino worker (OFW)
• kasalukuyang nasa: Region V
• nanggaling sa: United Arab Emirates
• dumating sa 'Pinas: ika-19 ng Abril, 2021
• specimen date: ika-24 ng Abril 2021
• petsa ng paggaling: ika-6 ng Mayo, 2021
• asymptomatic na

Updates sa COVID-19 cases mula India

Matatandaang limang Pinoy na nadaan kamakailan sa India ang nagpositibo sa COVID-19 matapos umuwi ng Pilipinas, ngunit isa pa lang daw sa kanila ang sumailalim para sa genome sequencing.

"Indeed there were 155 incoming passengers who passed through India, or stayed in India for the past 14 days, and five of them turned positive," ani Vergeire.

"Among of those positive, one has been sequenced and was positive for the A lineage, one is for sequencing and the three were not eligible for sequencing because of CT values greater than 30."

India, South Asian travel bans

Kasalukuyang merong travel ban na ipinatutupad ang Pilipinas sa India, Pakistan, bangladesh, Nepal at Sri Lanka bilang pag-iingat sa naturang mas nakahahawang COVID-19 variant. Una nang sinabi ni presidential spokesperson Harry Roque na posibleng palawigin ang nasabing travel ban.

"I think we need to talk about that [muna kung ie-extend]," palagay naman ni Dr. Edsel Salvana, na bahagi rin ng COVID-19 variants task force.

"If there is an extension, hopefully it's not a long extension, as long as we can show that we can keep our case numbers low."

Sa huling ulat ng DOH nitong Lunes, umabot na sa 1,108,826 na ang tinatamaan ng COVID-19 sa Pilipinas. Sa bilang na 'yan, patay na ang 18,562.