Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the Department of Health’s contact tracing is in full swing after the first cases of COVID-19 omicron variant was recorded in the country.
According to Duque, all government agencies are also helping to find the close contacts of the first 2 cases of the more contagious variant.
“[‘Yong] mga nakatabi ay dapat matukoy,” said Duque.
“Kinakailangan pa ring maging mas maingat at manigurado so they know what to do,” he added.
At a separate press briefing, Health Usec Maria Rosario Vergeire said that seven of the eight close contacts of the two omicron variant cases have already been identified and tested negative for COVID-19.
On Wednesday, the DOH announced that it had seen the omicron variant in a Filipino from Japan and a Nigerian from its country.
Both patients were asymptomatic and in quarantine, according to the DOH.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante allayed the public’s fears about the omicron variant.
In an interview with TeleRadyo, he said that the situation in the Philippines is better now because many have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Contact tracing on close contacts of 2 omicron cases in full swing: DOH
The doctor advised the public to make sure health protocols are always followed when going to public places.
“‘Pag ganito na may holiday season, pupunta tayo sa mga mall, walang problema diyan, just wear your face mask. If you’re not comfortable, wear [a] face shield,” said Solante.
But for a World Health Organization (WHO) official, the variant should still not be ignored even though initial studies show that it only causes mild COVID-19.
Omicron can still cause chronic COVID-19, especially in senior citizens, the sick, and the unvaccinated, according to the WHO technical lead for COVID-19, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove.
“We do have some deaths associated with omicron, and that’s what we expected because omicron will circulate among the different populations,” she said.
Meanwhile, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente shared that 41 countries have been included in the Philippines ’ green list, as set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).
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