The government’s contract tracing and isolation program is “very effective” against the new COVID-19 variant that originated from the United Kingdom, Malacanang said on Tuesday, February 9.

In his virtual presser, Presidential Spokesman Roque, who is currently in isolation after having been exposed to a COVID-19-positive staff of his on Sunday afternoon, said that 22 out of the 25 individuals positive to the new variant already recovered. 

“It looked like our contract tracing has been very effective. We isolated those who need to be isolated. Hopefully, because this is a new variant, we are able to stop (its spread),” he said in Filipino, adding that this is the reason why the government decided to fund the Philippine Genome Center (PGC).

The PGC, which is being run by the government and the University of the Philippines, is tasked to monitor the spread of the new COVID-19 variant. 

In January, the center helped identify the country’s first case of the new COVID-19 variant, which is a more contagious strain, in a passenger who arrived from the United Arab Emirates. 

Since then, the Philippines has recorded 25 cases of the variant that first emerged in the UK. On Monday, the country logged its first death from the new variant in an 84-year-old from La Trinidad, Benguet. There are two other active cases. 

Roque also clarified reports that said the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Cebu was because of the UK variant B.1.17. “That is not confirmed. The confirmation is that there is someone (originally) from Cebu but it is not confirmed if (the person) is in Cebu.”