DOH: 22 close contacts of 4th Omicron case identified; test results being verified

The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said it has identified the 22 close contacts of the 4th Omicron case in the country, adding that they are still verifying their test results.

“The DOH has found 22 close contacts of the 4th Omicron case from the PR 127 flight. This includes the husband of the case, who also tested positive,” the Health department said.

The DOH, however, assured the public that they were coordinating with the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Units to verify the health status of the close contacts.

“The DOH is currently verifying the test results of all close contacts and have coordinated with the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Units to verify the health status of these cases,” it added.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire earlier reported that the fourth case is a 38-year-old female from the United States who arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on December 10.

The traveler’s positive result for the Omicron variant came out on December 25.

Vergeire said the traveler is currently undergoing home quarantine and is being monitored.

Meanwhile, the husband of the 4th case of the Omicron variant also tested positive for COVID-19 and subjected to genome sequencing.

The DOH on Wednesday reported 889 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide COVID-19 tally to 2,839,790.

Vergeire said COVID-19 cases are expected to increase due to the recent holiday festivities and reduced compliance to the minimum public health protocols.

“We are continuously monitoring the situation, though we cannot still be certain that the increase in cases is due to the Omicron variant,” she told the reporters.—AOL, GMA News