The country’s first case of the mutated COVID-19 strain is now asymptomatic and is waiting for medical clearance, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said Saturday.
“He is asymptomatic. He does not have any more symptoms and we are waiting for him to finish his antibiotics and a doctor’s declaration that he is well. He is actually OK. He did not need to be moved into a hospital,” Belmonte said.
The 29-year-old male patient, a resident of Brgy. Kamuning, flew back to the Philippines from the United Arab Emirates on January 7 via Emirates Flight No. EK 332.
Strengthen contact tracing
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong Jr., who is also the country’s contact tracing czar, has urged local government units to strengthen their tracing efforts following the first confirmed case of the more transmissible UK coronavirus variant.
“They should not simply rely on the Department of Health and the Philippine National Police,” Magalong said Saturday.
“Local governments should take the leap in contact tracing,” he added.
No Traslacion effect yet
The OCTA Research Group said on Saturday that they have yet to see the effect of the Feast of the Black Nazarene, which many feared could have been a superspreader event.
Dr. Guido David said the recent spike in infections may be attributed to increased activity over the holidays even as the reproduction rate is already stabilizing.
“We’re hoping that it won’t turn out to be a superspreader event because we’re not seeing any indications yet,” he said.
“Maybe the power of their prayer is strong that they averted the transmission or somehow they followed social distancing,” David added.