(REUTERS)
MANILA, Philippines — The first infection of the Lambda variant of COVID-19 in the country was a local case—with the patient pregnant at the time of testing positive for the virus, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.
DOH Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire said that the 35-year-old woman, who was earlier reported as the first case of Lambda variant in the country is a local case and not a returning overseas Filipino.
“Base sa aming datos, the patient is a local case, hindi siya returning overseas Filipino,” Vergeire said in an interview on ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.
She was also pregnant when she tested positive for COVID-19 in July and has since recovered.
The DOH is now verifying if she has given birth since her expected delivery date is end of July.
“Itong ating kababayan na nagkaroon nito, wala siyang sintomas. Pero siya ay kailangan i-monitor nang maigi dahil buntis po siya,” Vergeire said.
“Kami ay nakipag-panayam kahapon sa ospital kung siya ay nakapag-deliver na ng baby niya,” she added.
Vergeire said contact tracing started as soon as the woman tested positive for COVID-19.
It will continue especially after it was detected that the woman was hit by the Lambda variant, said the DOH official.
“Ang Lambda variant is a variant of interest, hindi pa siya kina-classify ng [World Health Organization] as a variant of concern,” Vergeire said.
“Ibig sabihin, hindi ho pa significant para doon sa classification ng variant na ito to affect the population,” she added.
The Lambda variant was first detected in Peru in December 2020. It was classified as a “variant of interest” on June 14.