Angara not infectious despite being positive for virus again, says DOH exec

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sonny Angara would not spread the novel coronavirus or SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 even if he is again infected with the virus, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire clarified Saturday.

In a Viber message to reporters, Vergeire explained that the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) machine, which is being used for confirmatory COVID-19 tests, is not recommended as a measurement for recoveries.

“The RT PCR is not recommended by our experts as a measure of cure, as the virus may still be apparent in the body of COVID positive cases, even long after they have recovered, such as the case of Sen. Sonny Angara,” she pointed out.

Vergeire then assured the public that Angara is not infectious, affirming the statement of the senator’s doctors that only “remnants” of the coronavirus was detected in the rapid antibody test done on him as he tried to again donate his blood plasma to help other patients recover.

“But it doesn’t mean that he is still infectious. Tama ‘yung sinabi ng doctors n’ya (His doctors are correct), na (that) this might be remnants of the virus in his body but are not necessarily infectious anymore,” she explained.

On Saturday, Angara revealed that he tested positive for the virus anew.

To recall, Angara was first found infected by the disease on March 26.

After recovering from the illness in early April this year, he donated his plasma to help other coronavirus disease patients to survive the disease.

KGA