First, the United Kingdom has recorded cases of the new variant last September. Followed by South Africa, then it reached the southern tip of the island of Sulu, Philippines. Now, it reached the capital region. A 29-year-old real estate agent from Quezon City departed for Dubai last December 27, 2020, and arrived last January 7, 2021. He attended a business meeting in Dubai with another individual last December 30, 2020.
Upon arrival, he was tested and quarantined in a hotel. A day after, he was positive and referred to an isolation facility while his samples were sent to the Philippine Genome Center for genome sequencing. Immediate tracing was done, and contacts are now identified and currently under strict quarantine measures. The patient's immediate household contacts are also sent to an isolation facility where they're tested as an added precautionary measure.
Now, this new variant as they say it is more deadly and more transmissible but there are mixed reactions about it. It is best to still follow the safety protocols, stay at home if you don't have any plans of going outside except for getting your daily needs, and hopefully, the pandemic will come to an end so we can go back to our normal lives. Stay safe! and Stay Healthy, everyone!
Sources:
Lead Image from https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55507012
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1383403/uk-covid-19-variant-now-in-ph
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/1/13/new-UK-coronavirus-variant-detected-PH.html
