Traveler from UK tests positive for COVID-19

A traveler arriving in the Philippines from the United Kingdom has tested positive for COVID-19, with health officials awaiting further tests to determine if it is the new variant.

Out of 79 passengers from the UK, one tested positive, while 53 tested negative and 23 results are still pending.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III clarified that the positive test does not automatically mean it is the new variant, as experts from the Philippine Genome Center will conduct further analysis.

Current evidence indicates the new COVID-19 strain possesses a 70 percent higher transmissibility but does not appear to cause more severe illness or affect the efficacy of existing vaccines.

The affected passengers have been transferred to New Clark City in Tarlac to complete their mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Swab samples from these passengers have been sent to the Philippine Genome Center and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine for comprehensive study.

These passengers arrived in the country before the temporary suspension of flights from the UK, which began on December 24, 2020, and is set to end on December 31, 2020.