QC man positive for UK COVID-19 variant now asymptomatic — Belmonte

MANILA, Philippines — The 29-year-old Quezon City resident who tested positive for the COVID-19 variant that originated from the United Kingdom is now asymptomatic, said Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Saturday.

“The patient is actually doing quite well, asymptomatic na po siya, wala na po siyang mga sintomas at hinihintay na lang po natin matapos ang kanyang antibiotics at madeklara ng ating mga doktor na he is well,” Belmonte said during the Laging Handa press briefing.

(The patient is actually doing quite well, he is already asymptomatic, he doesn’t have any symptoms. We’re just waiting for him to finish his antibiotics and the clearance from the doctors that is already good.)

“Hindi nga natin nailipat sa ospital. So that proves while data shows na itong variant na ito, mas nakakahawa siya and that is what we are actually preparing for, the effects on a person na nahawaan ng virus na ito ay hindi naman mas grabe sa original COVID-19 variant,” she added.

(We didn’t even transfer him to a hospital. So that proves that while data shows that this variant is more contagious—and this is what we are actually preparing for—this is not more serious than the original COVID-19 variant.)

On Wednesday, the Department of Health confirmed that a 29-year-old male from Barangay (village) Kamuning tested positive for the UK COVID-19 variant, which is said to be more infectious.

The patient left for Dubai on Dec. 27 for a business trip and arrived in the Philippines last Jan. 7 via Emirates flight No. EK 332.

The patient, Belmonte said, is now in an isolated facility.

In the same briefing, Belmonte added that the Quezon City government has already traced 143 individuals who may have had contact with the patient.

/MUF