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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY––One of the travelers from South Africa being traced by the Department of Health (DOH) had been located in this city using a local contact-tracing system.
Mayor Oscar Moreno told reporters Thursday that the DOH regional office advised the City Health Office (CHO) about the person Sunday evening.
In less than four hours, local authorities tracked the traveler, Moreno added.
Health authorities have been on the lookout for travelers from countries and territories with reported cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Dr. Ted Yu, medical officer at the CHO, said the person was located using the local government’s Higala app, a contact-tracing system.
The traveler from South Africa, a resident of this city, arrived in Manila on Nov. 20. Found positive for COVID-19, he underwent quarantine and was certified to have “clinically recovered” on Dec. 1, the same day he flew home.
A repeat swab test on Dec. 6 found he was negative of the virus, Yu said.
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