UK variant-positive traveler in Hong Kong came from Cagayan -DOH

The traveler from the Philippines who tested positive for the new coronavirus variant in Hong Kong was a 30-year-old woman from Cagayan Valley, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

Citing a report from the Hong Kong International Health Regulations National Focal Point and local Centers for Health Development, the DOH said the passenger left Cagayan Valley on December 17.

She arrived in Metro Manila on December 18 and underwent quarantine in observance of workplace protocols.

On December 19, she took an RT-PCR test for COVID-19, which yielded a negative result.

The traveler departed for Hong Kong on December 22 and again underwent quarantine upon arrival.

She took another swab test on January 2, which tested positive for the coronavirus variant initially discovered in the United Kingdom.

The patient remains in isolation and is in stable condition.

The DOH also said contact tracing efforts were underway to identify other passengers who were aboard the same flight including those in Cagayan Valley and Metro Manila.

“They have been instructed to ensure strict quarantine of identified close contacts and for samples collected from said contacts to be sent for confirmatory testing and, if samples test positive, subsequent whole genome sequencing,” it added.

Health officials in Hong Kong first reported that a traveler from the Philippines tested positive for the new coronavirus variant on Tuesday.

Philippine Airlines later said the passenger presented a negative test result prior to departure.

Meanwhile, the DOH announced that a study of 305 samples did not detect the new variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The Philippines has recorded 480,737 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday afternoon. -- BAP, GMA News