Howie Severino is finally free of COVID-19

Howie Severino announced that he has officially recovered from the dreaded COVID-19.

Howie received the good news when frontliner staff from the municipal health office in Mataasnakahoy, Batangas delivered his results earlier today. He has also completed the additional 14-day quarantine as required by the Department of Health (DOH).

He said, “I'm happy to say that I have finally tested negative twice in a row for the coronavirus. I am now medically considered fully recovered from Covid-19.”

While the Kapuso broadcast journalist assumes he may develop immunity from reinfection, he brought to mind the news about COVID-19 survivors from Korea who tested positive again.

Howie continued, “Now the growing consensus of doctors and scientists is that these positives still retained fragments of the original virus, latak as we would say in local lingo, hence the detection of these viral crumbs after escaping the net of a previous test.

“That is what happened to me, and apparently to Sen. Sonny Angara who wrote recently about his relief from a negative result turning to dismay when he tested positive in a subsequent test. The trajectory for him and others with similar results is full recovery. There is as yet no scientific evidence of reinfection and the return of covid symptoms.

"Thus, the DOH protocol is for all positives to test negative twice in a row before being declared recovered. In addition, my two antibodies tests showed that I have these anti-viral warriors in my blood, making me eligible to donate plasma to gravely ill patients to improve their chances of survival.”

Howie made his COVID-19 infection public early in April. With the help of his nurse Gab Lazaro, he produced a special I-Witness documentary detailing his experience as a COVID-19 patient.

Other celebrities who have recovered from COVID-19 include Iza Calzado and Christopher de Leon.

Howie Severino reflects on the new roles of recovered COVID-19 patients

Howie Severino pays tribute to nurse who attended to him during his COVID-19 confinement