Seaman with Delta variant tests negative in re-swab test
THE 23-year-old seaman from Natividad town who was found positive of COVID-19-Delta-variant was considered clinically recovered and allowed to go home to Pangasinan on August 3 after completing his 21-day quarantine and he tested negative in his re-swab test on Monday.
Provincial Health Officer Anna de Guzman said that aside from the seafarer’s negative result, his family members who were his close contacts upon arrival were also made to take the RT-PCR test on the same day, and they, too, yielded negative results.
The seaman was placed under the 21-quarantine when he tested positive upon arrival on July 13. He was released as positive recovered and went home to Pangasinan on Aug. 3 on board a bus provided by the government but few days later, it was found out that it was Delta variant that infected him.
He and his family who were in close contacts with him upon arrival at their residence, all tested negative Tuesday, and were allowed to go home.
De Guzman said aside from the seaman, the result of the swab tests made on the other 20 returning Overseas Filipino Workers who were with him on the bus when they traveled to Pangasinan have not been released as of press time.
De Guzman said contact-tracing was launched on the seafarer’s fellow passengers from Pangasinan (Alaminos City, Binalonan, Bayambang, Dagupan City, Lingayen, Malasiqui, Manaoag, Natividad, Rosales, San Fabian and Sto. Tomas), from La Union (Bauang), from Ilocos Sur (Bantay, Narvacan, Santiago, and Tagudin), from Abra (Manabo).
The result of genome sequencing for the Delta variant may take three to four weeks, De Guzman said.
The OWWA Duty Officers who processed and fetched the returning OFWs tested negative as well.
Despite the good news, Natividad recorded four new cases on August 11, three are government employees, the fourth is a 72-year-old man.
While they are all asymptomatic, two of them are under strict home isolation, while the others are in the town’s isolation facility.
The seaman’s case was the first recorded Delta variant infection in Pangasinan. (Eva Visperas/Jerick Pasiliao/Ahikam Pasion)
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