World News | Philippines Detects Country's 1st Omicron Cases
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The Philippines said Wednesday it has detected its first cases of the omicron strain in two travellers who arrived recently from Japan and Nigeria.
Manila, Dec 15 (AP) The Philippines said Wednesday it has detected its first cases of the omicron strain in two travellers who arrived recently from Japan and Nigeria.
The Department of Health said the omicron variant was detected in a Filipino man, who flew back home from Japan on a Philippine Airlines flight on Dec. 1. The second case was detected in a Nigerian national, who arrived in Manila from his country via Oman Air on Nov. 30.
Also Read | UK PM Boris Johnson Faces Off Revolt for Making COVID-19 Vaccine Certification Mandatory.
Both travelers tested positive for the coronavirus after arrival and the results of additional tests showed on Tuesday that they were infected by the omicron strain, the department said.
The two are confined in a government-run isolation facility without any symptoms, the health department said, adding it was checking whether any of their fellow passengers in their flights to the Philippines had been infected too.
Also Read | Chinese Teachers Unsure Whether To Implement COVID-19 Protocols or Teach New Subject on Grandpa Xi Jinping.
Health officials renewed their call for Filipinos to wear protective masks properly, wash and disinfect their hands frequently and stay safely away from people and big crowds.
“We continue to remind the public not to let their guard down, to religiously observe minimum public health standards and call upon all those unvaccinated to get their jabs as soon as possible,” presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles told a televised news conference.
The Philippines imposed one of the strictest and longest lockdowns in the world after the pandemic hit in March last year, causing its economy to plummet by 9.5% last year in the country's worst recession since World War II.
Health officials reported just 237 confirmed infections with 100 deaths Wednesday. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)