NOW: The DOH gives updates on the first known case of UK COVID-19 variant in the country
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Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire: Bagama't mas nakakahawa ang variant na ito, hindi po nagbago ang mode of transmission.
Vergeire urges public to strictly follow health protocols.
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On December 25, the case was tested for COVID-19 and yielded negative result.
Below is the timeline of events:
Replying to
Vergeire says flight EK 332 has 159 other passengers (excluding the case). 92 passengers have been contacted.
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NEWS UPDATE: The DOH says contacts of the OFW in Hong Kong with UK COVID-19 variant tested positive on PCR testing but "with low viral load."
The UK variant was NOT DETECTED among contacts in NCR and Cagayan, the DOH said.
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Dr Edsel Salvana says this is not the first time that a more infectious variant of COVID-19 was detected.
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Health Secretary Francisco Duque III says the country has enough hospital beds as of now, with only 50% beds occupied for both COVID-19 and non-COVID patients.
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Philippine Genome Center's Dr Cynthia Saloma says they do genome sequencing in batches. "We do 750 samples at a time," she says.
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Genomic sequencing is the process of analyzing the virus sample taken from a diagnosed patient and comparing it with other cases to see whether those who tested positive for COVID-19 have the new variant.
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NEWS UPDATE: The DOH will recommend to the IATF the inclusion of UAE in the list of countries barred from entering the Philippines.
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Saloma: Kung halimbawa po na may nakita po tayong surge sa isang parte ng Pilipinas, inaanyayahan po natin sila na magpadala ng samples for genome sequencing.
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Duque: We are not defenseless. Ang pasgunod po sa health standards ay napakahalaga.