MANILA, Philippines — Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez on Tuesday disclosed that two of his grandchildren aged six months and two years old, as well as his 87-year old father, former mayor Dr. Pablo Olivarez contracted COVID-19.
Olivarez said his infant grandchild and his octogenarian father were confined in the hospital, with the former already recovered and the latter now in stable condition.
“Dumaan din po kami kagaya ng pinagdaanan ng ibang pamilya,” Olivarez said over Teleradyo.
(We already experienced what other families have been through.)
“Yung aking apong dalawa nagkaroon ng COVID. Six-month-old, saka two-years-old. Nai-confine po namin ng dalawang araw yung six months kong apo. At naka-recover naman po… Pati po yung 87-year old kong tatay naka-confine sa ospital. Si Dr. Pablo Olivarez, 87 years old. Pero stable na po ang kanyang kondisyon at ang maganda po sa kanya, nakapag-booster na po, ‘yun ang inaasahan,” he added.
(My two grandchildren had COVID. The six-month-old and two-years-old. Our six-month-old grandchild was confined two days ago, and my grandchild recovered. Even my 87-year-old father is confined in the hospital. He is Dr. Pablo Olivarez, 87 years old. But he is in stable condition and he’s already had his booster shots so that’s what we are banking on.)
With this, Olivarez advised the public to “double” their precautions in light of the Omicron variant.
“Huwag tayong maniwala na ang Omicron is mild. Yan po ay variant, tayo po ay mag-ingat,” he said.
(Don’t believe that Omicron is mild. That is a variant, we should all take our precautions.)
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, in a public address aired on Monday night, revealed that the highly contagious Omicron has replaced the Delta as the dominant variant of COVID-19 in the country.
The revelation came on the heels of skyrocketing new coronavirus cases with the Department of Health (DOH) recording another all-time high COVID-19 infection on Monday at 33,169.
In total, the Philippines reported 2,998,530 cases including 157,526 active cases, 2,788,711 recoveries and 52,293 deaths, according to DOH.