The variant of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in the country.
In a shocking statement on Wednesday night, the Philippine Department of Health has confirmed the country’s first case of the SARS-CoV 2 variant from the United Kingdom, B117.
According to the agency, the case is a Filipino who arrived last January 7 from Dubai. He was said to who have flown abroad for a business trip December 27, 2020. DOH also disclosed that he flew via Emirates flight EK 332.
Upon the patient’s arrival in the country, he was tested positive for SARS-CoV 2 the following day. However, his partner tested negative. Both are now undergoing a “strict quarantine procedure”.
The Health department said that they have since received a copy of the flight’s manifesto and contact tracing is now ongoing. All known contacts of the patient are required to undergo quarantine in a medical facility.
Despite this new development, the DOH still instructs the public to only observe minimum health standards, such as the wearing of face masks and shields.
In Southeast Asia, Singapore was the first to report a case of the UK SARS-CoV 2 variant last December 23. This pushed the Philippines to issue travel restrictions to majority of countries with reported cases of the aformentioned strain that is expected to last until January 14, 2021. But due to this new update, it remains to be seen whether the country would close its border once again after tomorrow.
You may read the full statement by the DOH below: