BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental has recorded its first case of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The patient was a 52-year-old returning overseas Filipino worker (OFW) from Talisay City, according to Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz.
The patient worked in the United Arab Emirates and was repatriated on July 20; he was immediately quarantined and later tested positive for COVID-19.
After a month, on Aug. 25, the patient’s genomic sequencing result from the Philippine Genome Center was released. By then, he was already deemed “fully recovered.”
The patient’s home was nevertheless placed on lockdown, and he was also re-swabbed.
The patient’s family members also underwent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests.
Last week, Negros Occidental reported its first case of the Lambda variant, which is also the first known case in the country./PN
