The Quezon City real estate agent who contracted the B117 variant of COVID-19 during a trip to Dubai has tested negative in his latest swab test, the local government announced today.
“The doctors at the quarantine facility where he is staying will make a final assessment before he is allowed to reunite with his family and reintegrate with the community,” the Quezon City City Hall said in an online statement.
However, the patient, a resident of the village of Kamuning, will remain under monitoring for at least two weeks.
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The City Hall added that it “warn[s]” members of the community against discriminating against the patient and that doing so is “punishable under our existing anti-discrimination Ordinance.”
Residents of the village of Kamuning have reportedly experienced discrimination after the real estate agent tested positive for B117. Government officials believe he is the first Filipino to have been infected with the variant, which was initially detected in the United Kingdom and is said to be more infectious than older coronavirus strains.
The patient’s mother and girlfriend have both tested positive, and their samples are currently being tested to determine if they have B117. Three of his other close contacts have also tested positive, as well as eight of his co-passengers on Emirates flight EK332.
The agent went to Dubai with his girlfriend to attend a business meeting and arrived in the Philippines on Jan. 7.
The Philippines has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia, with 507,717 reported as of yesterday. This includes 467,475 recoveries and 10,116 deaths.
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