Navotas mayor tests positive for COVID-19

Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco. (INQUIRER.net file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco announced in a Facebook post on Sunday that he had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

According to Tiangco, whose immune system is compromised due to severe asthma, he first tested positive in an antigen test at around noon on Sunday and it was later confirmed by an RT-PCR test.

“I apologize to everyone I encountered in the past days and I’m requesting you to monitor your health closely. If you feel sick, consult a doctor immediately,” Tiangco said in Filipino.

He said he was ready to go through 14 days of isolation.

“But as much as I can, I will still fulfill my duty to monitor and lead our COVID response and other responsibilities as mayor,” Tiangco said.

A few hours earlier the Pasay City Public Information Office confirmed that Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano contracted COVID-19 for the second time.

Metro Manila is currently facing an “exponential increase” in COVID-19 cases, prompting Malacañang to place it under the stricter Alert Level 3, in an effort to curb the rise of infections.

Meanwhile, the number of Omicron infections rose to 14 on Saturday after health authorities detected three local cases of the variant, signifying that there was a “high possibility” of local transmission in the country.

Earlier, the Department of Health recorded 4,600 new COVID-19 cases nationwide, the highest since Oct. 24. In these cases, 4,584 or 99 percent alone were from Metro Manila.

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