Detection, control measures intensified on city’s first UK Variant case

BAGUIO CITY  –  (5 March 2021) – Intensified detection and control measures like contact tracing and retesting are being undertaken on the city’s first known case of B.1.1.7 or UK variant in an effort to break the transmission of the more contagious variant.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong on March 2 said they revisited the contact tracing previously done on the patient, a 30-year old female who tested positive for Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Feb. 12, 2021 and tagged as recovered on Feb. 23, 2021.

Data and link analyses were also done to trace the movement of the patient, the places she went to and identify the people she interacted with at the time she was infectious for monitoring and reassessment for possible infection.

From the data, they also hope to get a clue on the source of the virus, the mayor said.

He said retesting was conducted for some of the patient’s close contacts.  A total of 98 additional general contacts were also identified and are now under close monitoring.

The patient was said to have had no history of travel and no known contact with other UK variant cases in the region.

The mayor said they are looking into the hospital angle as she was said to have had contact with a medical practitioner residing in a nearby municipality who turned positive for COVID-19.

As this developed, the City Health Services Office called for continued adherence to the minimum public health standards to avoid contracting the virus.

“We should be able to control the virus to stop its mutation.  As it jumps from one person to another, the more chances it has to mutate.  This is why we have the UK and African variants now and we can do it by correctly and consistently observing minimum public health standards,” City Epidemiologist Donnabel Panes said. – Aileen P. Refuerzo