DOH: Increase in Covid-19 cases in Pasay not linked to UK variant patient

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday there seemed to be no direct link between the increase in Covid-19 cases in Pasay City and the case of the 46-year-old female patient detected with the more infectious UK variant of the coronavirus.

“Wala pa rin tayong nakitang link. Tiningnan po natin ‘yung mga kaso sa ngayon. Hindi naman po natin nakikita na talagang directly link with this specific case that we have identified, ‘yung nanay ng empleyado sa MRT,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online press briefing when asked if the increase of Covid-19 cases in Pasay is connected to the UK variant patient.

(We did not see a link. We looked at the cases that we have. We did not see a direct link with this specific case that we have identified, who is the mother of an employee from MRT.)

The DOH earlier said that one of the UK variant cases in the country is a woman from Pasay City, who is connected to the cluster of cases in MRT-3 depot office since her child works there.

According to Vergeire, samples from Pasay City need to be undergo genome sequencing to determine if other coronavirus variants are already present in the locality.

On Tuesday, the Pasay City government said 22 more villages were placed under a 14-day enhanced community quarantine, days after it locked down 33 villages and a transient home due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.

EDV