MANILA, Philippines — The 35-year-old Cebu resident, who contracted the more contagious variant of Covid-19, has now tested negative for the novel coronavirus, the causative agent of severe respiratory disease Covid-19.
This was revealed Friday by Dr. Rolly Cruz, head epidemiologist of Quezon City, in an interview with INQUIRER.net on Friday.
“Noong Feb. 10 na-swab, negative na po siya (Last Feb. 10, he underwent swab test and he’s now negative for the virus),” said Cruz, when sought for updates on the Cebu patient’s health condition.
“Aantayin na lang mawala ang kanyang symptoms and i-di-discharge na po,” he added.
(We will just wait for the symptoms to disappear and we will discharge him.)
Cruz said the Cebu man’s latest swab test result means he is now negative for both the original SARS-CoV-2 variant and B.1.1.7. variant.
The patient, who hails from Liloan, Cebu, is a former Overseas Filipino Worker in Korea. He underwent a swab test in Pasay City last January 17 and was later found positive for SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19.
His samples were then sent to the Philippine Genome Center to determine if he contracted the more infectious UK variant or B.1.1.7. This screening also yielded a positive result.
He was transferred to a hotel in Manila City for a mandatory quarantine. On January 21, however, his manning agency transported him to Quezon City, where he temporarily lived with a companion.
The health department has been locating the Cebu patient since February 10. It even sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation, which eventually tracked his whereabouts in Riverside, Quezon City.
The local government had since transferred the Cebu patient and his companion from the Quezon City apartment to the city’s isolation facility.
The roommate of the Cebu patient was also checked for the UK virus variant, according to Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte.
To date, the Philippines recorded 25 cases of the UK virus variant, including the Cebu patient.