DOH: 7 of 8 close contacts of Omicron cases negative for COVID

MANILA, Philippines — Seven of eight identified close contacts of the first two cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant in the country have tested negative for the coronavirus before being released from quarantine, the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.

According to DOH, the 48-year-old returning Filipino who arrived in the Philippines from Japan on December 1 only had one close contact when he flew business class on Philippine Airlines flight PR 0427.

“One close contact among his co-passengers was identified. Close contact had a negative RT-PCR released last December 4 based on the arrival line list. You may be wondering why there is only one close contact for our 48-year-old male from Japan. It was because he was seated in a business class, and it was just one passenger with him in this business class section,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during an online media briefing.

Meanwhile, the 37-year-old Nigerian national who arrived from Nigeria on November 30 via Oman Air flight number WY 843 had seven close contacts. Six of them had negative test results released between December 2 to 3.

“There were seven close contacts from the plane that were identified. As per the Bureau of Quarantine, six out of the seven close contacts had negative test results and have completed facility quarantine. The last is currently being verified as to test results. The reason why there were just seven close contacts is because the foreign national sat at the very end of the plane so we only counted those in front of him and on his side,” Vergeire said.

Vergeire explained that the “epidemiologic identification” of close contacts in planes are those seated in four seats in front, left, right, and behind the concerned case.

She noted that not all co-passengers in the flight are considered close contacts.

She, however, assured that all passengers were quarantined upon arrival and that only those who tested negative for the virus were released from isolation.

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