Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said today, January 14, that with the detection of the more transmissible COVID-19 UK Variant in the country, he is urging everyone to strictly adhere to the observance of public health standards.
Remember that the use of face masks, face shields, the observance of proper physical distancing and the exercise of proper hygiene remain to be the most effective tools against the transmission of the virus, he said.
The Department of Health and the Philippine Genome Center confirmed the detection of the B.1.1.7. SARS-CoV-2 variant (UK variant) in the country Wednesday after samples from a Filipino who arrived from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on January 7 yielded positive genome sequencing results.
The DOH, in a press release, said the patient is a male resident of Quezon City who left for Dubai on Dec. 27, 2020 for a business trip and arrived in the Philippines Jan. 7 via Emirates Flight No. EK 332.
The DOH reiterated its call to national government agencies, local government units, and the public for stricter observance of the minimum public health standards and stricter implementation of quarantine protocols to further mitigate the risk of acquiring the virus and slow down possible mutations.
Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, Negros Occidental provincial health officer, said the UK variant is far more contagious than earlier variants of the coronavirus, but there is no scientific findings that it is more deadly.
Like the governor, Tumimbang stressed the need for the public to continue to practice minimum health protocols.
The public should also agree to be vaccinated when the COVID-19 vaccines arrive to ensure their protection, he added.
The provincial government is also doing its best to secure its borders by subjecting all those entering the province to COVID-19 testing and quarantines until their negative results are released, he said.
Lacson said, “We have been in this pandemic for several months already and now is the time to be more vigilant than ever; for protecting ourselves is tantamount to protecting our family and everyone around us. Time did not change the nature of the virus and the mode of its transmission.”
Given the circumstances, the governor said “it is the totality of our acts that will determine if we pull through or succumb to this worldwide health crisis.”
“We are all part of the solution of this pandemic, hence, we must act accordingly,” he added.*