Bontoc variant carrier still unidentified

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Philippines —  Health authorities are still searching for the carrier of the UK variant of COVID-19, who had infected 12 villagers from Bontoc town in Mountain Province.

Karen Lonogan, senior health program officer of the Department of Health (DOH) Cordillera said a person suspected to be infected – a 43-year-old overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who arrived in the province from the United Kingdom last month – was declared positive for COVID-19, but not the UK variant of the virus, after testing was done on his specimen by the Philippine Genome Center.

Lonogan said the OFW arrived last Dec. 11 and was allowed to go home to Bontoc after he tested negative for COVID-19 the next day.

She added that during his stay in Bontoc for the Christmas holidays, the OFW attended parties and went sightseeing in Sagada, until he experienced symptoms and tested positive for the regular variant of COVID-19 on Dec. 29.

Lonogan said none of the OFW’s household members were infected. She determined that there may have been a different person infected with the UK variant of COVID-19 who came from abroad and engaged with the 12 infected villagers.

Meanwhile, DOH Cordillera said it has not yet determined who infected a salesman in La Trinidad, Benguet whose specimen was detected with the UK variant.

The salesman has no travel history, DOH added.