UK variant COVID cases: Liloan patient may not be in Cebu; Talisay City patient long isolated

Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, the spokesperson of DOH-7, says that the Talisay UK variant case has long been isolated and the Liloan patient may not be in Cebu.| file photo

CORDOVA, Cebu, Philippines — The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) said that the patient hailing from Liloan town, Cebu, who proved positive to the new variant (UK variant) of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) might not be in Cebu.

Dr. Mary Jean Loreche of the DOH-7 said the case was interesting because the returning Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) was swabbed in Sta. Ana, Manila, and as of evening of February 5, 2021, the DOH-7 had no information of the patient’s whereabouts.

Read: DOH: Two men from Cebu among 8 new confirmed COVID variant cases

In a statement of the national DOH, they said that the patient has mild disease and is “currently being managed.” The exposure and travel history of this case is also being verified.

Loreche said the Liloan patient might have not reached Cebu yet and could have been isolated elsewhere.

“The one tagged positive from Liloan is still being investigated and verified. This case is interesting as the swabbing was conducted in Sta. Ana, Manila, January 17, 2021, and we have no details as to (his) whereabouts now,” said Loreche in a Viber message to reporters.

Look: The new COVID variant detected from returning OFW from Talisay

As for the patient hailing from Talisay City, an OFW from Dubai, he was immediately isolated before even reaching his hometown upon arrival in Cebu.

He was isolated in Cebu City and the DOH-7 said there was no need to worry about this particular case because the patient was properly contained.

Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas urged his residents not to panic as the new coronavirus variant had not technically reached the city’s jurisdictions.

“I was told that the UK variant case from Talisay City has not set foot in our city since he arrived in the country last month. He only set foot when he was deemed recovered by doctors from a hospital in Cebu City.”

“I urge our constituents not to panic. Everyone is doing their best to ensure that we all remain safe. Our local health officials are also vigilant in ensuring that the new UK variant does not affect us. Let us continue to pray that this pandemic will eventually pass,” said the mayor.

Gullas added that the patient was hospitalized due to diabetes, but eventually recovered from the disease on February 2, 2021. The recovered patient is now home in Talisay City.

The DOH-7 said there was no need to worry about these two cases tagged in Cebu as only one of them had set foot in the island and was managed well. /dbs