Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 21) — Authorities have yet to locate two co-passengers of the 29-year-old Filipino with the more infectious COVID19 variant.
In an update on Thursday, the Department of Health said only two people have yet to be contacted and laboratories and quarantine facilities are being asked for assistance.
The DOH said the passengers possibly gave false or erroneous contact information that landed in the flight manifest.
“Baka wrong yung number or iba na ba yung number pagdating dito sa Pilipinas. We’re also trying to see bakit hindi tayo sinasagot or why they are rejecting our calls,” Dr. Alethea De Guzman of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau explained.
[Translation: The phone number might be wrong or it could be a different number when they arrived here in the Philippines. We’re also trying to see why they aren’t answering or why they are rejecting our calls.]
Health officials said airlines should establish a system to ensure passengers provide complete and accurate contact information.
The 29-year old patient arrived in the Philippines on January 7 via Emirates Flight EK332 with 159 other passengers.
As of writing, 14 of the patient’s contacts have tested positive for the new coronavirus: 12 co-passengers, 1 household member, and 1 healthcare worker.
The 14th case tested negative upon arrival in the country but turned out negative in a second test.
