Philippines expands contact-tracing efforts to combat new COVID-19 variant

MANILA — The Philippines is boosting its contact-tracing efforts to halt the spread of a new COVID-19 variant which experts warn could be more contagious, Malacañang said on Friday.

The health department earlier this week detected the country's first patient with the new COVID-19 variant: a Filipino who had recently returned from Dubai.

"Contact tracing protocols, on the other hand, shall be strengthened by expanding to third-generation contacts for known new variant cases," said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque.

"All identified close contacts are required to undergo a strict facility-based 14-day quarantine while remaining contacts from the flight manifest shall be advised of the appropriate quarantine protocols, he said in a statement.

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The Department of Health is looking for passengers who were on the same flight taken by the Filipino who contracted the new SARS-CoV-2 variant.

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The inter-agency task force leading the country's pandemic response directed the interior department to ensure that local governments are using the Stay Safe contact-tracing system, said Roque.

Those who test positive for the novel coronavirus are required to undergo whole genome sequencing, he added.

Genome or gene sequencing is a process that allows scientists to see how a virus has mutated based on samples from COVID-positive patients.

The Philippines has banned the entry of travelers from 32 countries until Jan. 31 to halt the spread of the new variant.