Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 6) — Authorities are monitoring the status of nearly 90 close contacts of Filipino travelers who tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival from China, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.
Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said only one of the 89 close contacts of the eight Filipino travelers has shown symptoms. The person was already tested and is under isolation until the DOH gets the test result.
“Lahat ng close contacts na ito [All of these close contacts] are all under monitoring,” Vergeire said in a media briefing.
“They are going to be monitored every day until the time na tapos na po ang ating protocol for monitoring [until the protocol for monitoring ends],” she added.
Vergeire emphasized local governments also play a part in monitoring them.
Of the 89 close contacts, 46 are foreign nationals while 43 are Filipinos.
In terms of vaccination status, health officials noted one was partially vaccinated, one unvaccinated, while the remaining were all fully vaccinated.
They were identified through contact tracing parameters and a review of a manifesto from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), according to Vergeire.
On Jan. 4, the DOH announced eight Filipino passengers from China were found positive for the coronavirus through antigen tests.
The agency on Dec. 31 ordered heightened surveillance for inbound travelers from China at all ports of entry, as the world’s most populous country is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infections caused by Omicron subvariant BF.7.
The eight Filipinos entered the country from Dec. 27, 2022 to Jan. 2, 2023 and needed to undergo antigen testing as they are partially vaccinated or unvaccinated for COVID-19.
Vergeire said confirmatory RT-PCR testing also showed positive results. Genome sequencing results would be reported next week.
They also have mild symptoms and are still under isolation with BOQ officials taking care of them, the health official said.
“They will be released from quarantine depending on the date they started isolation and ating protocol ngayon ay [our current protocols require] seven days. After seven days, wala ng sintomas [if there are no symptoms], they can be discharged and just be monitored,” Vergeire explained.
