Muntinlupa LGU warns public against Omicron variant
The Muntinlupa City government has reminded residents to strictly follow minimum public health standards after the detection of the first two Omicron variant cases in the country.
Dr. Juancho Bunyi, head of the Muntinlupa City Health Office (CHO), said when the news about the detection of the Omicron variant cases came out, the CHO alerted all barangays and communities to be ready.
Muntinlupa’s Prevent, Detect, Isolation, Treat, Reintegration (PDITR) and the vaccination teams are on alert to ensure that the city is ready, Bunyi added.
He advised the strengthening of rescue units in barangays and the disaster risk reduction and management office due to the Omicron variant, and to strictly implement health protocols especially in malls and other closed areas, and crowded places.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), two Omicron variant cases were detected from 48 samples that were sequenced on Dec. 14.
One Omicron-positive case is a returning overseas Filipino (ROF) who arrived in the Philippines from Japan on Dec. 1 on Philippine Airlines flight number PR 0427. His sample was collected on Dec. 5 and he tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Dec. 7. The patient is in an isolation facility managed by the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) and is asymptomatic but had symptoms of colds and cough upon arrival, according to the DOH.
The other case is a Nigerian national who arrived in the country from Nigeria on Nov. 30 aboard Oman Air flight number WY 843. His sample was collected on Dec. 6 and he tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 7. He is asymptomatic and is now in the BOQ isolation facility.
Muntinlupa’s warning came as active COVID-19 cases in the city have gone down. As of Dec. 15, Muntinlupa has only 13 active COVID-19 cases out of 27,596 confirmed cases, 27,004 recoveries, and 579 deaths.
Last Nov. 26, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) variant B.1.1.529, named Omicron, as a variant of concern.