PH confirms 2 cases of India COVID-19 variant

The Philippines has confirmed the detection of the B.1.617 coronavirus variant, first identified in India, announcing two cases in the country.

Both individuals are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who had no direct travel history to India; one arrived from Oman and the other from the United Arab Emirates.

The first case is a 37-year-old male seafarer who arrived from Oman on April 10.

The Department of Health (DOH) has identified 13 close contacts of this OFW who were co-passengers on his flight.

The DOH is verifying the RT-PCR test results of these close contacts upon their arrival in the country.

The second case is a 38-year-old OFW who arrived from the UAE on April 19.

Both patients have since recovered, and their co-passengers have tested negative for the virus.