Philippines reports 8 more cases of new coronavirus variant
MANILA, Philippines — Health authorities said Friday they detected eight more cases of the new coronavirus variant first identified in the United Kingdom called B.1.1.7, bringing the total number of cases of the more infectious variant to 25.
The Department of Health said that three of the new cases are from Bontoc, Mountain Province where health authorities detected three weeks ago 12 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant.
Of the three, two women aged 25 and 54 were close contacts of a patient who is part of the cluster of B.1.1.7 cases in Bontoc. The third patient is a 31-year-old man whose link to the Bontoc cluster is still being verified, the DOH said.
The health department added that the 54-year-old woman has already recovered, while the 25-year-old woman and the 31-year-old man are still being treated for COVID-19.
The DOH previously reported that 71 of the 410 contacts of the first 12 B.1.1.7 cases in Bontoc have tested positive for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, two more B.1.1.7 cases were reported in La Trinidad, Benguet, where health officials detected three weeks ago one case of the new variant.
A 15-year-old girl, who is one of the new patients with the new variant, is a relative of the first case in La Trinidad. She is currently not showing any symptoms and is in isolation, the DOH said.
The other new B.1.1.7 case in La Trinidad died last January 24. He was an 84-year-old man with no known travel or exposure history to anyone with the B.1.1.7 variant and was a part of a separate cluster of cases in the town.
The DOH previously said that five of the 37 contacts of the first B.1.1.7 case in La Trinidad have tested positive for COVID-19.
Adding to the new cases are two returning overseas Filipinos. One is a 29-year-old woman who arrived January 7 from the United Arab Emirates aboard Philippine Airlines flight PR 659, while the other is a 54-year-old man whose reported address is in Talisay, Cebu. Both of them have already recovered.
The eighth new case is a 35-year-old man from Liloan, Cebu whose travel and exposure history is still being verified. He is still being treated for COVID-19, the DOH said.
The health department vowed to immediately conduct case investigation, contact tracing and back tracing to identify the sources of infection of those who have no known links to previous B.1.1.7 cases.
The DOH also said that no other variant of concern has been detected in the Philippines.
Preliminary estimates find the B.1.1.7 variant between 30% and 70% more contagious than other forms of the virus. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there is “some evidence” that it could be deadlier, but local experts affiliated with the DOH said it is still premature to conclude this.
Experts warned that an increase in the transmission of the new variant will lead to more people getting infected and sick, which can overwhelm the country's health system anew.
— Xave Gregorio with a report from Gaea Katreena Cabico
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